th a huge meerschaum of great beauty in his hand,
he smoked, and watched the lions at play. These gambols were always
amusing, and never failed to assemble all the crew to witness them.
Jarasch, dressed in a light woollen tunic, with legs, arms, and neck
bare, led them forth by a chain; and, after presenting them to Sir
Dudley, from whose hands they usually received a small piece of sugar,
they were then set at liberty,--a privilege they soon availed themselves
of, setting off at full speed around the deck, sometimes one in pursuit
of the other, sometimes by different ways, crossing and recrossing each
other; now with a bold spring, now with cat-like stealthiness, creeping
slowly past. The exercise, far from fatiguing, seemed only to excite
them more and mere, since all this time they were in search of the
food which Jarasch, with a cunning all his own, knew how, each day, to
conceal in some new fashion. Baffled and irritated by delay, the eyes
grew red and lustrous, the tails stiffened, and were either carried
high over the back or extended straight backwards; they contracted their
necks too, till the muscles were gathered up in thick massive folds, and
then their great heads seemed actually fastened on the fore part of the
trunk. When their rage had been sufficiently whetted by delay, Jarasch
would bring forth the mess in a large "grog tub," covered with a massive
lid, on which seating himself, and armed with a short stout bludgeon, he
used to keep the beasts at bay. This, which was the most exciting part
of the spectacle, presented every possible variety of combat. Sometimes
he could hold them in check for nigh half-an-hour, sometimes the
struggle would scarce last five minutes. Now, he would, by a successful
stroke, so intimidate one of his assailants that he could devote all his
energies against the other. Now, by a simultaneous attack, the savage
creatures would spring upon and overthrow him, and then, with all the
semblance of ungovernable passion, they would drag him some distance
along the deck, mouthing him with frothy lips, and striking him about
the head with their huge paws, from which they would not desist till
some of the sailors, uncovering the mess, would tempt them off by the
savor of the food. Although, in general, these games passed off with
little other damage than a torn tunic or a bruise more or less severe,
at others Jarasch would be so sorely mauled as to be carried off
insensible; nor would he ag