12 BEASTS AND MEN 
and expected to arrive together at Suez. Cassanova stated 
that he was dangerously ill, and that it was therefore imperative 
that I should come to Suez, in order to take charge of the 
animals on the journey to Europe. Under the circumstances 
this appeared to be unavoidable ; and so, the next day, ac- 
companied by my youngest brother, I departed for Egypt. 
We travelled vza Trieste, and arrived at our destination after 
an uneventful journey lasting eight days. On entering the 
station at Suez we were greeted by some of our prospective 
pets, for in another train opposite we saw several elephants 
and giraffes, who pushed out their heads to welcome us. 
This, however, scarcely prepared us for what met our gaze 
when we reached the Suez Hotel. I shall never forget the 
sight which the courtyard presented. Elephants, giraffes, 
_antelopes and buffalo were tethered to the palms; sixteen 
great ostriches were strolling about loose; and in addition © 
there were no fewer than sixty large cages containing a 
rhinoceros, lions, panthers, cheetahs, hyzenas, jackals, civets, 
caracals, monkeys, and many kinds of birds. 
It was naturally no easy matter to transport this immense 
collection of wild beasts to Europe. The amount of food 
required was enormous. Besides the hay, bread, and sundry 
other vegetable foods which were needed for the elephants 
and other herbivores, we also took along with us about a 
hundred nanny-goats in order to provide the young giraffes 
and other baby animals with milk. When these goats were 
no longer able to supply us with milk they were slaughtered 
and given to the young carnivores to devour. 
The journey to Alexandria, where we were to embark 
for Trieste, was by no means uneventful. On the way to 
the station the ostriches escaped, and were only recovered 
after considerable delay. Then one of the railway trucks 
caught fire, endangering the entire menagerie; and finally 
we were furnished for the last part of the journey with a 
drunken engine-driver who nearly burst his boiler. More- 
over, the poor creatures were so closely packed together that 
