116 MEN I HAVE FISHED WITH. 



elephants trumpeted, lions roared, hyenas howled, mon- 

 keys screamed and what the cockatoo said is lost. "Mat" 

 was there, and so was Driesbach and the writer. The 

 constable jumped, grabbed the cage by the top and forced 

 it back to its place at the expense of a coat and a torn 

 shoulder from the tiger's claws. Driesbach was astounded 

 at the quickness and strength of this unassuming man, 

 and offered him a lucrative position to travel with him, 

 which was declined. Me? Oh, yes! After it was all 

 over "Dandy" Nesbitt, the jockey, Tom Scribner and I 

 were found safe under the wagon where the trick bear had 

 his residence. 



Up to about 1845 there was lots of fun every year at 

 "general training." This was an assembling of the uni- 

 formed and the ununiformed militia for several days or a 

 week's drill in camp, as required by law. The ununi- 

 formed militia consisted of every man between certain 

 ages, not specially exempted, who could, I think, escape 

 by paying a certain sum. It was a grand spree for some 

 and the guard-house was always well filled with drunks. 

 When in garrison in later years this gang was known as 

 Company Q, 



Martin Miller was a general of militia, but of what 

 rank I never knew ; in fact, rank was unknown to us boys 

 beyond the fact that there were officers and privates. It 

 was my fortune to see two "general trainin's/' one on the 

 farm of John Morris, above the village, and the other at 

 Clinton Heights. Then I think the law was changed and 

 they were abolished, perhaps before 1845, f r I was tnen 

 old enough to remember more than two such rackets. It 

 was a great event. Drums, flags, the squads of farmers' 

 boys who couldn't keep step to the drum, the neat uni- 

 forms of some of the companies, the usual crowd of bump- 

 kins, yokels, three-card-monte men, thimble-riggers, 



