WILD BEASTS BEHIND THE BARS 
227 
of his own importance. This youngster 
took it upon himself to guard, cherish, and 
protect this same big Wallace ; and Wallace 
conceived an especial fancy for the dog, 
and looked to him for help upon all possible 
occasions. And there was a lioness, Gyp 
by name, who was a haughty beauty with 
many airs, and after the manner of her 
kind, strongly disposed to have her own 
way. It was her mission in life 
to leap through a blazing hoop 
from a horse's back, a striking 
feat, and one wherein she showed 
surpassing grace, and an insolent 
indifference to the applause of 
her admirers. But once, shortly 
before the scene below took 
place, she was startled out of her 
high disdain and the onlookers 
had a treat — those who were not 
too frightened to realize 
it. She scorched her 
tail in going through the 
hoop, and for three 
minutes thereafter the 
cage was a concentrated 
whirlwind. After that 
she was sulky and mo- 
rose, ignored all apolo- 
gies, and suddenly, one 
night, refused point- 
blank to do the trick at 
all. She sat on her 
block and yawned im- 
politely in the faces of 
the spectators, and 
swore below her breath 
at the sting of the whip 
wherewith the trainer 
tried to mend her man- 
ners. The three other 
lions sat down to watch 
the affair. The 
dogs in the 
cage under- 
stood that 
something was 
wrong, though 
how to remedy 
matters was 
quite beyond them. So they stood around 
awaiting developments, able to demonstrate 
their willingness to hold up their share of 
the performance only by doing what they 
were told with extra diligence. The ambi- 
tious bull, in the zeal of his ardor, got him- 
self in trouble first. 
The trainer, finding that Gyp absolutely 
refused to budge, left her to get over her 
sulks and went after 
Wallace. It chanced 
that Wallace's turn 
came always after the 
wayward Gyp, and he 
was not prepared for 
any alteration. For per- 
forming animals, on the 
stage, are simply living 
automatons. They do 
such a thing after a 
comrade has done such 
another thing ; the mu- 
sic, a stamp of the train- 
foot — small mat- 
ters that 
to the 
unknow- 
ing seem 
acciden- 
tal, or at 
most in- 
cidental — furnish them their 
cues. Their proficiency is the 
result of habit ; of doing many 
times a certain thing at a cer- 
tain time on a definite signal. 
So that when Gyp disturbed the 
established routine, like the one 
wheel out of gear which throws 
the whole machine 
into confusion, 
Wallace, with the 
best intentions in 
the world, got 
himself hopelessly 
tangled up. He 
hesitated, and 
glanced appeal- 
ingly at the train- 
er. The specta- 
tors did not know 
what ailed him, but his distress was so ob- 
vious that they instantly sympathized. Some 
one started encouraging applause; others 
took it up. W T allace felt better, being as- 
sured that nobody was laughing at him. 
The trainer rubbed the whip butt comfort- 
LEOPARD SPARRING. 
