THE OCELOT. 



165 



his mouth, and then he was in bliss, till his vic- 

 tim awoke and disturbed him, when he resisted, 

 and growled and behaved like a naughty child. 

 Of this trick he was never cured. 



Another wild taste that made trouble in the 

 household was the desire to have his food fresh 

 and raw, and to select it himself. Half the fun 

 of having something to eat was — in his eyes — 

 the pleasure of hunting it. Not that he refused 

 to be fed from the table; he had what our 

 grandmothers used to call "a growing appetite," 

 but when he wanted a little " sport " he knew 

 how to get it. 



One way was to waylay the cook. When that 

 important person came in, with a pan on her 

 head containing the meat for dinner, Master 

 Nico, the tiger, knew that his chance had come. 

 He was usually on the watch indeed, for he 

 knew the hour the meat came as well as she did. 

 As she entered, holding her head up, of course, 

 he stole in behind her, and followed so closely 

 and so lightly on his slippers of fur that she 

 neither heard nor suspected him. 



She passed into the kitchen and set down the 

 pan, when like a flash the baby-tiger was upon 

 it, teeth and claws every one buried in the piece 

 of meat he had selected as he jumped. There 

 he held on for dear life, for well he knew his 

 claim would be disputed, and he braced himself 



