io TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 



agree to this scheme. "If Mayer takes the 'cross- 

 over money'," he said, "we get half of it, at least; 

 but, if you take it, we don't get any." 



That settled the matter, and, considering times 

 and ways, I've always thought that it was a good 

 tribute to my honesty. It was a crude business and 

 every man was out for himself. To break even, a 

 man had to be just as hard as the next one, and to 

 come out ahead, he had to be a bit harder. I liked 

 the game, but I always had the feeling that it wasn't 

 the thing I wanted most. I was interested chiefly 

 in the animals, but, as head property-man, I had 

 little time to be near them. 



My desire to learn all there was to know about 

 animals was the main reason why I cultivated the 

 acquaintance and friendship of Gaylord. He was 

 an expert animal-man probably the best informed 

 in the business and had been P. T. Barnum's con- 

 fidential agent for years. He had traveled the 

 world over, time and again. 



It was Gaylord who negotiated with the Siamese 

 officials for one of the famous white elephants of 

 Siam. Barnum had his heart set on having one 

 of them for his show and he sent Gaylord out with 

 instructions to go the limit. The stumbling-block 

 in the transaction was that the Siamese believe the 

 spirits of the ancestors of the royal family are trans- 

 ferred to the white elephants. The animals live in 

 the royal palace and are cared for with all the 

 ceremony given to any members of the reigning 



