Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 103: what you’re looking at

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90 running, or else his wondrous skill in aiming with the rifle at so small an object as a crocodile’s eye, had saved him over and over again from affording a meal to the rapacious reptiles of that species; and in the backwoods of America he had led huge shaggy bears such a dance up, and down trees that he had well wearied them out before he ended the sport by means of the trusty rifle which had so often stood him in good stead. In a word, the volume which he had published, and of which his bookseller had sold many thousands, was well cal- culated to throw the startling adventures of that veracious nobleman, Baron Munchausen, completely into the shade. All this did very well for the public; and Mr. Richards, the lessee, was rewarded by crowded houses for the enterprising spirit which had in- duced him to engage the services of Captain Chal- mers. some little secrets which were known to Mr. Richards—and which Mr. Richards whispered over a confidential glass of port to Mr. Norman—and which Mr, Norman mentioned in an equally con- fidential way within the range of his own family circle. Truth therefore compels me to add that Captain Chalmers was no captain at all, and that in former times he had passed under other names, so that it was not a very easy matter to determine which was his proper one. As for his marvellous adventures, they had existed only in the imagina- tion of some poor author who for the sum of fif- teen pounds sterling had compiled the book in the reading-room of the British Museum. That Cap- tain Chalmers—as I must continue to call him— was however a famous brute-tamer was an un- doubted fact; and that he ventured into the cage containing ten or a dozen beasts of the savage kind, was a feat witnessed nightly by crowded houses. ‘ On the last evening of the Captain’s engagement at the theatre, I agreed to accompany Juliet —who, as the reader will recollect, had retired from the stage previous to her union with Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe. Mr. and Mrs. Norman were engaged to appear in the piece that was expressly written for the introduction of the famous brute-tamer ; and they therefore could not join us in the stage ; box which Mr. Richards had placed at our dis- posal. Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe however ac- companied us; and on taking our seats in the box, we found that the house was as well filled as on the nights of my own performance. But my pride was not at all wounded by this.circumstance: for my own good sense told me that the theatrical- going public, as well as the individual, must have @ variety of pleasures, and that it is in this very variety the chief enjoyment of them consists, | Nevertheless, I have seen actors and actresses— | the most eminent of their profession—who have felt themselves bitterly galled and even been ready to weep like children, at finding that wild beasts, or horsemanship, or exhibitions of dwarfs or giants, have drawn houses as good as their own performance. But on these and other theatrical subjects I may perhaps have more to say in the progress of my narrative. In due course the scene arrived in which Cap- tain Chalmers was to appear with his tamed beasts. When the curtain drew up, it disclosed a cage of considerable dimensions, standing upon the Beneath the surface, however, there were. stage. It had stout iron bars, and appeared strong enough to serve as the prison-house for the ani- mals it contained. These consisted of a tiger, a NT ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. bear, a hyena, a lion, and six or seven other | beasts the names of which I have forgotten. The Captain himself was a singular-looking man, and far from prepossessing. He had a bullet-shaped head, with a stock of black hair which gave him the effect of wearing a wig. His form was mus- cular and well-knit; and his coyntenance ap- peared to have an expression of the most reso- lute firmness. His principal garment was a close- fitting doublet, or jerkin: his arms were bare; and by their size seemed to be very powerful. I should add that he wore a short dagger in his belt. I need not enter into any particular details to describe by what dramatic fiction the brute-tamer was introduced upon the scene. Suffice it to say that i6 was an oriental piece, the imagination being led to suppose that the adventures passed in India, where an English officer, represented by Captain Chalmers, was audacious enough to aspire ~ to the hand of a great Rajah’s daughter. This Rajah swore that the daring suitor should become food for his wild beasts; but he was also led to vow that if by any happy chance the hero passed unscathed through the dread ordeal, his hopes should: be’ crowned with bliss. Such was the leading ineident of the drama which was to intro- duce Captain Chalmers into the cage in the pre- sence of the spectators. Although I knew that the exhibitor had over and over again entered that cage, yet I confess that when I beheld the beasts protruding their terrific claws through the bars, or yawning and displaying their tremendous teeth, a cold sense of apprehension erept over me. There was a somewhat lenzthy dialogue between the hero and the Rajah previous to the introduction into the cage; and during this interval some of the animals either frolicked or quarrelled with each other—I could not precisely comprehend which; but if it were merely play, it was certainly a very rough game. For they not merely indulged in mutual snarls and howls—but they clawed and snapped at each other —they flew round and round the cage—then one sprang upon another, threw him down, and strode over him, while their mouths were brought into what appeared to be a very savage contact. Juliet was frightened as well as myself: but Lord Fre. derick Ravenscliffe assured us that it was only the play of those animals. At length the moment came when Captain Chalmers was to enter the cage; and it was with lightning rapidity that he suddenly opened the iron gate at the back, which was instantaneously closed behind him withaclashing din. Folding his arms across his chest, he immediately assumed the atti- tude of triumph and domination : his features were fixed in rigid sternness: his dark piercing eyes glanced quickly at each animal in rapid succession, as if to overawe them all. The lion lay down heavily, and gave a tremendous gape, which showed @ mouth large enough to take in the head of his master: the bear stood up on his hind legs, grasp- ing the bars with his fore-paws, and looking at the crowds in front of the footlights: the hyena walked rapidly to and fro, rubbing himself against the bars, but with his head slightly inclined more ee erate eee ne eee SSS... eCORelooolks | @ Com