WILD BEASTS BEHIND THE BARS 
231 
rage, which flared up on slight irritation, 
and were preceded by a quivering of the 
animal's whole body; and which, appar- 
ently, nothing could control. 
Upon the night of Sammy's debut things 
went off all right until after the see-saw 
act. Sammy had not yet become fully ac- 
customed to the rocking plank, though he 
stood that and the lights and the gaze of 
the crowds remarkably well. But he was 
glad when it was over, and jumped down in 
a hurry to get to his block. It has been 
said that Sammy was bucolic ; he was also 
clumsy, and had no manners at all. And 
in addition, he was somewhat upset. It 
came to pass that Mrs. Grundy, who had 
also been on the see-saw, left it just as 
Sammy did, and, either through inadver- 
tence or because she thought she could 
treat all creation as she treated her indul- 
gent lord and master, leaped coolly up on 
Sammy's block and settled herself com- 
fortably. She even started to wash her 
face. So when Sammy came along, he 
found his place taken. Now Sammy knew 
perfectly well that this was not right ; and 
it must be confessed that he had the law on 
his side. Mrs. Grundy knew it quite as 
well, and cared not a flirt of her tail for it. 
Had she not Caesar to take care of her ? 
Sammy should have remembered that he 
was in the city where people acted — if they 
did not feel so — in a genteel manner and 
with due regard for appearances. But, 
being an ignorant lout, he did a most un- 
gallant thing. He did not offer violence — 
no lion in his right mind ever bares tooth 
against a female of his race, unless to save 
his own life. But he went behind and 
pushed ; and Mrs. Grundy slid off the block 
to the floor. Instantly Caesar, who had 
watched the situation with rising wrath, 
leaped from his block straight for Sammy's 
throat. If he had found his grip, the show 
would then and there have been the loser 
by several hundred dollars' worth of valu- 
able raw material. But if gallantry was 
not in Sammy's line, fighting was; and be- 
fore the trainer could reach them they were 
at it nip and tuck. The bone of contention 
got back on the forbidden block and looked 
on placidly. Then a thing happened. In 
the scrimmage Sammy found Caesar's ear 
in his mouth, and, naturally enough, bit it. 
Caesar cowered down like a beaten hound, 
and Sammy, mightily astonished, drew off. 
The trainer promptly whipped them all three 
back to their respective places and admin- 
istered reprimands all around ; and the per- 
formance ended, since all the actors were 
too generally worked up to be of further 
"nothing to do but watch." 
