276 Wild Beasts 



resources so powerfully impressed his mind, might pull 

 his ears or twist his tail after he grew up. This was to 

 pass the proper limits of familiarity, and whenever it 

 happened he crouched and glared with glistening fangs. 

 That was all, however ; no act of hostility followed. 



Gato began to stalk his guardian at an early age, but 

 soon learned that a statue of St. John the Evangelist was 

 not alive, and gave up his practices against the Apostle. 

 He discovered likewise the illusory character of shadows, 

 which at one time were taken to be substantialities, and 

 somehow or other satisfied his mind about his own reflec- 

 tion in a fountain when the wind ruffled its surface. This 

 gave him much concern for a while. Being accustomed 

 to look at himself in a glass, and to stand with his fore- 

 paws on the edge of the basin and see his reflection in 

 still water, what perplexed and excited him was the fact 

 that it sometimes looked as if it moved while he was 

 motionless. Whether he found out about the ripple, no- 

 body knows, but he stopped tearing round the fountain 

 and peering into it to see this thing from different posi- 

 tions. 



It was not until he was quite a good-sized animal that 

 the pretence of killing his guardian was given up. As the 

 gravity of age grew upon him, and those engaging pas- 

 times of his childhood gave way before the development 

 of inherent traits, these playful hunts became more rare 

 and finally ceased. Both of us fully understood that this 

 stalking business was nothing but fun. In fact, Gato 

 never fully entered into the spirit of his part or displayed 

 his powers to their greatest advantage, unless he was 



