ELEPHANTS 



him here should he return in a specified time. Scott 

 immediately begged me not to carry out my intention of 

 giving him a holiday, stating that if I would only give 

 him another day he would do his best to induce " Jumbo " 

 to enter his box. To this I agreed, and on the following 

 morning " Jumbo " was safely housed. 



" ALICE." 



The African elephant " Alice " was purchased of the late 

 Mr. C. Rice (who at the time had an establishment in 

 St. George's Street, E.) for the sum of £500. At that time 

 she was under 4 ft. in height. She was very tractable. 

 So small was she that it was suggested that she should 

 be put in a cab and taken to the Gardens. Being anxious 

 to remove her that same afternoon I determined to walk 

 her through the streets. This I managed in spite of 

 the trouble and annoyance caused by a crowd of two 

 to three hundred of the London mob, composed as a 

 London mob usually is of a lot of dirty, ragged, noisy boys, 

 and not a few of that nomad, the London rough, the 

 curse to modern travellers about town. Notwithstanding 

 these difficulties I reached the Gardens just as it was 

 dark. Finding my dinner awaiting me, I introduced my 

 companion " Alice," who seated herself by my side at the 

 table and evidently enjoyed the bread, apples, etc., with 

 which I supplied her. 



ACCIDENT TO "ALICE." 



One morning about nine o'clock in the month of 

 August, Waterman, one of the keepers, came to me in 

 breathless haste asking me to come to the elephant-house, 

 at the same time saying that " Alice," the female African 



51 



