THE TAME PANTHER. 
117 
whose palace they lived for several weeks, 
when my hero, being much larger than his 
companion, suffocated him in a tit of romp¬ 
ing, and was then sent to Mr. Hutchinson, 
the resident left by Mr. Bowditch at Comas- 
see. This gentleman, observing that the 
animal was docile, took pains to tame him, 
and in a great' measure succeeded. When 
he was about a year old, Mr. Hutchinson re¬ 
turned to Cape Coast, and had the animal 
led through the country by a chain, occa¬ 
sionally letting him loose when eating was 
going on, when he would sit by his master’s 
side and take his share with comparative 
gentleness. Once or twice he purloined a 
fowl, but easily gave it up to Mr. Hutchin¬ 
son on being allowed a portion of some¬ 
thing else. On the day of his arrival, he 
was placed in a small court leading to the 
private rooms of the governor, and, after 
dinner, was led by a thin cord into the room, 
when he received our salutations with some 
degree of roughness, but with perfect good 
humour. Upon the least encouragement, 
he laid his paws upon our shoulders and 
rubbed his head upon us, and, his claws 
having been filed, there was no danger of 
