ey feel comfortable when Sai was ordered back to his
hiding-place. I bantered one of them about his fears when I met him at
dinner; and he confessed that he had never been more frightened. One of
the drollest circumstances attending Sai's presence at the castle,
occurred to a woman who swept the floor of the great hall every day
before dinner was laid, with a little hand-broom, called a prah-prah.
She was engaged in her usual occupation, without knowing that Sai was
there, and stooping almost on all fours; when with a sudden impulse of
fun, the panther jumped upon her back, and stood there, wagging his
tail. Naturally supposing she was going to be devoured, the poor
prah-prah woman screamed so violently as to bring the other servants,
whereupon they being of the same opinion as herself, and thinking their
turn might come next, ran away; nor was she released till the governor,
hearing the noise, came to her assistance.

Before Sai was put on board the vessel in which we were to sail
together, we had become the best friends possible; and I and my uncle
coaxed him into the cage made for his accommodation. He was put into a
canoe, the men belonging to which were so alarmed when he moved, that
they upset the canoe, and the poor animal was plunged into the sea. We
were watching him from a window in the castle, and gave him up for lost;
but some of the sailors of the vessel, seeing the disaster, stepped into
a boat, and rescued him. He was so subdued by his ducking, and the
uncomfortable dampness of his cage, for no one dared to open it to wipe
it out, that he rolled himself up in the corner, and only, after an
interval of some days, was roused by my voice. When I first spoke he
raised his head, held it first on one side then on the other, and when I
came fully into view, jumped upon his legs, and appeared frantic with
joy; he rolled himself over and over, howled, opened his enormous jaws,
and seemed as if he could tear his cage to pieces, in order to get close
to me. Gradually, however, his violence subsided; he was amply caressed;
and from that time, ate everything which was offered to him: perhaps he
had suffered from sea-sickness. I indulged him twice a week with some
lavender water put into a cup made of stiff paper, but never allowed
him to have it when his claws were pushed forth; so that he learned to
retract them at my bidding.

While we lay for weeks in the river Gaboon, he was never suffered to
leave his cage, beca