226 BEASTS AND MEN 
always clear and fresh, and I devised means for keeping it 
thoroughly cool at the same time. In a fortnight the cure 
had entirely succeeded, and the bear once more became an 
almost perfect specimen of his kind. Some time after, I 
sold him to a menagerie for a very good price. 
Every one who has had anything to do with animals is 
well acquainted with the fact that they often have a strong 
predilection for alcohol and sugar. Thus it is well known 
that race-horses are given sack to drink, or have their 
nostrils washed out with it, before they start in a race. 
Monkeys, too, are fond of wine, or of alcohol in any other 
form. Once when I was transporting seven elephants and 
a number of other animals through Germany the elephants 
were seized with colic. In order to cure them of this I gave 
them doses of rum. One of them, however, appeared to 
have had rather too much, for he became exceedingly 
hilarious and challenged his more sober neighbour to a duel. 
The jovial monster was disturbing the entire menagerie, so 
I saw that there was nothing for it but to repeat the dose, 
for the purpose of reversing the effect. I therefore supplied 
him with a large extra quantity of grog. He then became 
completely drunk, and soon fell into a quiet sleep. 
I have heard of a case of alcohol being administered also 
to bears in a very cruel, indeed a revolting, manner. This 
occurred some time ago when I had sold several large Euro- 
pean bears to a menagerie owner of the name of Malferteiner. 
This man used to wander about the country with an itinerant 
exhibition, and his cages were of a somewhat light make, 
scarcely strong enough to keep securely the exceptionally 
fine animals which I had sold him. There seemed consider- 
able danger that, by gnawing, scratching, or breaking, they 
would soon succeed in gaining their liberty. He was there- 
fore rather pleased when, soon afterwards, he fell in with a 
tribe of gypsies, who were much interested in the bears and 
offered to purchase them. As they had some ready money 
he completed the transaction; and waited with curiosity to 
