88 
ALMOST HUMAN 
advisable to place triple barbed wires before the cages of the more 
dangerous animals as well as “Danger” notices. A very interesting 
clique of young urchins was discovered not so long ago. Their leader 
was a boy of about seventeen, and there were at least a dozen smaller 
boys in his gang. The little ones were sent to various parts of the 
gardens in sets of three, and were given orders to get between the fences 
and the cages and gather up all the peanuts that had been unsuccess- 
fully thrown at the animals. These amount to a large number every 
Sunday, and therefore their haul was always a considerable one. When 
the boys had collected all the plunder, they met their chief at the appointed 
place and emptied their overflowing pockets. He pooled the lot, and 
gave each of his henchmen a few for their pains and kept the rest — 
certainly the lion’s share — for himself. Whether he ate these or re-sold 
them is unknown; but the fact remains that he managed to get a large 
number of children to place themselves in positions of grave danger to 
satisfy his cowardly cupidity. As soon as the operations of this gang 
were discovered and stopped the anxiety of the men on duty was greatly 
lessened, but it is still a task of no small seriousness to guard the animals 
and little boys on Sunday afternoons. All the cages have had to be dis- 
figured with barbed wire and wire netting because of the boys. 
One Sunday afternoon, there was 
“A poor little ragged young urchin, 
As ought toVe been home with his marm,” 
hunting for peanuts in the manner just described, and he was unnoticed 
until he began industriously gathering up the nuts in front of the leopards’ 
cages. As he was stooping, absorbed in his task, he did not know that 
he was within range of the leopard’s paw until the cruel claws were 
fastened in the crown of his head. He thrust up one arm to defend 
himself, and at once a second claw clutched at that and tore it horribly. 
While the beast was endeavoring to pull his victim up towards his 
teeth, a soldier in the crowd, with the true spirit of the Anzacs, sprang 
across the fence and caught the screaming victim of folly. But the 
leopard had no intention of releasing his prey. No straining could get 
the child free: indeed, straining meant a rending of his tender flesh each 
time it was attempted. The soldier called for help, and two or three 
men had to get over and kick with all their might at the leopard’s legs 
before they could make the least impression upon the brute. When at 
last the child was freed he had lost so much blood that the place resembled 
a shambles. A gentleman offered the use of his motor-car to the con- 
stable who took charge of the sufferer, and they were whirled off to the 
hospital, where the youngster had time to ponder over the folly of dis- 
