Part 4 (1/2)
Of this ani captures, and, so variety to the ordinary scenes of conflict and adventure My Father's experience, whilst affording many examples of the former result, had a reasonable share of the latter
It is to a special case, however, as indicated in our head-title, that the present record relates
On one occasion, when a fe ones was taken alive It was a fine, and, for a cub, well-grown animal When first taken on board, it was temporarily secured on an unoccupied part of the deck, but in a place near to which , inconsiderate about any risk of assault, the ani at him, but fortunately, checked by his rope, failed in the ferocious intent This circuested the idea, which he soon proceeded to carry out, not only of chastising, but of subduing the captive ani adopted was as follows:-
The rope already encircling the neck of the bear was put through a ring-bolt on the deck, and the head was thereby drawn so closely down as to lie of a few inches, or perhaps about a foot My Father then took his station in a secure position, and held out his hand invitingly towards it, an action which the irritated creature retorted by a furious roar, and atte it over the snout with the fingers, closely compacted, of one of his hands At each blow, attempts were vainly made to catch and tear the audacious instru chastised But after very many repetitions of the now keenly-felt strokes of the hand on this tender place of the head, and after as many failures, on the part of the chastised creature, in his endeavours to retaliate, the bear began evidently to feel a co influence, as indicated by the frequent effort to avoid the co blow Occasionally, however, he would renew his atte, with an obviously ly, as the bear continued to resist, the saularly adan to be subdued under the led
The effect of the process was, froer near to the creature's face If it attempted to bite, the chastisement was continued until, on the application of the test, there was either a quiet sub away of the head Ultimately the animal wasapprobation, by being patted on the neck or side of the head; and, then, as often as it rebelled, the usual punishment was renewed, and, whenever it indicated submission, it either received the forible reward of being fed by the hand by which it had been wont to be chastised
The thorough subjection, indeed, of this naturally ferocious creature was soon effected,-within the space, I believe, of two or three days,-and from that time forward my Father's command over it was uniform and supreme
Nor was the kindness hich he treated the captive lost upon it; for it yielded, as occasions permitted, very decided indications of an inversion of its ordinary vicious propensities in respect to its considerateto this record
On the arrival of the shi+p in port, bruin was removed to the oil-yard,-the pre reduced into marketable oil Its arrival became a subject of popular interest, and the inhabitants of Whitby flocked out in masses to see it
Whilst so situated, the bear, somehow or other, obtained his release, and escaped into an adjoining covert,-”cockmill Wood” The incident soon becaerous animal-now rendered supre to which he had been subjected froe, within a mile or so of the town, and in a wood intersected by a eneral exciteuns and a variety of other destructive weapons, were speedily in progress, and with overwhel superiority, towards the retreat of the bear, with a view to its destruction
Happily for poor Bruin, ot timely intimation of the circumstance that had occasioned so much alarm He proceeded forthwith to the oil-yard, where he provided himself with a short piece of rope, and then climbed the cliff into the wood in search of the stray animal Guidance was sufficiently afforded by the strea towards the place of his retreat, and, on nearer approach, by the noise and clae
It was a curious scene A s formed, at a respectable distance, a curvilinear front, with the surprised object of attack quietly standing in the focus Fortunately no blood had yet been shed; no wounds or bruises yet given It was the iht have been a question how the creature should be dealt with? Whether he should be summarily attacked with fire-ars, his recapture atteht have thus occasioned the desirable delay were now speedily settled My Father, with only the rope in his hand, h the ranks of the would-be warriors in the conteht; when, to their utter amazement, and to the no small alar to the bear, in his usual ht up to hiy neck, as he placed a prepared noose of the rope around it, and then quietly led away the furious brute, which, under his co!
The other incident connected with this ani, if somewhat less adventurous, not less curious
The care-taking and rown Polar bear soon becaht, there is little doubt, have been sold advantageously for being itinerated as a _show_ about the country; but ined a destination for it, where it would be better cared for, by having it deposited along with the wild beasts in the Tower
It being ascertained that the contribution would be very acceptable, the bear was embarked in a coaster On its arrival in the Tha its importance and security, and safely transferred to its final destination
It was about a twelveular installation a the wild beasts of the National collection, thata look at his old acquaintance, Bruin Proceeding to the Tower, he paid the usual entrance-fee, and without inti about his special object, took the course through the collection, like other visitors, as guided by the exhibitor
His eye being wistfully directed in advance of his position, he at length got sight of the looked-for object; when, breaking away froress, he hurried directly up to where his ursine friend was encaged A warning cry caently from the keeper, who had noticed his near and bold approach to a place of danger-”Take care, sir, that is one of the arded My Father only paused, whilst, by his familiar and accustoained the attention of the aninised, he went quietly up, thrust his are, and, whilst he patted the neck and head of the evidently delighted creature, received a species of fawning response, which was eloquently interesting and touching The keeper, who had rushed forward on witnessing the daring intrusion on the interior of the bear's cage, now stood fixed in al his hands with a characteristic indication of his extreme amazement, he exclaimed,-”Why, sir, I never saw the like of that all the days of my life!”
The subjection of the wildest and most ferocious animals to the authority of man is not so much, we may observe, the result of man's superiority as of the Creator's special appointn and command, in respect to the inferior creatures, that this should be so The superiority appointed originally to Adam was, that he should ”have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the face of the earth” But the appointment, which was simple and natural when all was innocency, was afterwards renee find, under a _new influence_, that of _fear_, specially induced on the general constitution of the aniraciously assured by the Alhteous Noah and his sons, on their descent fro influence set forth in these characteristic terms:-”The _fear_ of you, and the _dread_ of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air; upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea: into your hand are they delivered”-Gen ix 2
FOOTNOTES:
[D] This ree exceeded by vessels sailing fro the preceding twenty years, co their repeated voyages
CHAPTER III