THE KING OF THE WILDERNESS. 



181 



upon circumstances whether we smile or feel our hair 

 stand on end. Most likely the latter happens when, 

 without, a rifle, we accidentally meet him in the wilds 

 of the evergreen forest; here he is every inch a 

 king, but, alas ! an arrant coward — that is, under 

 all ordinary conditions. 



In captivity his humorous nature comes to the 

 front. Not long ago, when I visited a certain -^ild 

 animal "show," every beast, except- 

 ing those in the monkey 

 cage, appeared to take life 

 most seriously; but when I 

 stood before two black bears 

 all appearance of serious- 

 ness came to an end. 

 Here a jolly couple 

 were thumping 



about their narrow 

 quarters, apparent- 

 ly trying to swal- 

 low each other 

 "^ crosswise, and 

 evidently enjoy- 

 ing the sport 

 with as much gusto as college students do the rush 

 in a game of football. Later on they subsided to the 

 milder amusement of swallowing huge slices of bread ; 



A jolly couple. 



