l;3f) DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS. — CLASS I. MAMMALIA. 



could not get tlicir cliairs close, thej' used their united eflorts to pull liini 

 down by the t;ul. lie one morning missed the governor, who was settling 

 a disjHite in the hall, and who, being surrounded by black people, wa.s hid- 

 den from the view of his favorite. Sai wandered with a dejected look to 

 various part.s of the fortress in search of him ; and, while absent on this 

 errand, the audience ceased, the governor returned to his private rooms, and 

 seated himself at a table to write. Presently he heard a heavy step coming 

 up the stairs, and, raising his eyes to the open dour, he belield .Sai. 

 At that moment he gave himself up for lost ; for Sai immediately sprang 

 from the door on his neck. Instead, however, of devouring him, he laid 

 his head close to the governor's, rubbed his cheek U2)on his shoidder, wagged 

 his tail, and tried to evince his hajipincss. Occasionally, however, the pan- 

 ther caused a little alarm to the other inmates of the castle, and the poor 

 woman who swept the floors, or, to speak technically, pra-pra woman, was 

 made ill by her i'riglit. She was one day sweeping the bmu'ds of the great 

 hall witli a slun't liroom, and in an attitude nearly approaching to all-foiu's, 

 and Sai, who \vas hidden luuler one of the sofos, suddcnl}- lea^ied upon her 

 liack, where he stimd in triuuijih. She screamed so violently as to sum- 

 mon the other servants ; but they, seeing thi' panther, as they thought, in 

 the act of swallowing her, one and all scampered ofi' as rpiickly as possible; 

 nor was she released till the governor, who he;M'd the noise, came to her 

 assistance. Strangers were naturally uncomfortable when they saw so 

 powerful a beast at perfect liberty, and many were the ridiculous scenes 

 \vhieh took place; they not liking to own their alarm, yet perfectly unable 

 to retain their composure in his presence. 



''This interesting animal wa.s well fed twice every day, but never given 

 anything with life in it. lie stood al:)0nt two feet high, and was of a dark 

 yellow Color, thickly spotted with black rosettes ; and, from the good feed- 

 ing, and the care taken to clean him, his skin shone like silk. The expres- 

 sion of his countenance was very animated and good-tempered, and he was 

 liarticnlarly gentle to children. He would lie down on the mats by their 

 side ^vhcn they slept, an<l even the infant shared his caresses, and ren;ained 

 imhurt. During llie [leriod of his residence at Cape Coast, I was much 

 occupied with making arrangements for my departure from Africa, but 

 generally \isited my future companion every day ; and we, in conscrpience, 

 became great friends Ijcfore we sailed. lie was conveyed on Ijoard the ves- 

 sel in a large wooden cage, thickly barred in the front with iron. Even this 

 confinement was not deemed a sufficient protection liy the e;inoe men, who 

 were so alarmed at taking him from the shore to the vessel that, in their 

 confusion, they dropped cage and all into tlie sea. For a i'cw minutes I 

 gave up my poor panther as lost, but some sailors jumped into a boat 



