THE BEASTS AT THE TOWER.
All good things must have an end, and Ben's lunch in the Tower was not
any exception to the rule. At last even he was satisfied that nobody
would eat any more, although he was very far indeed from being satisfied
that they had had enough.
"Won't anybody be so good," he said, "as just to try and pick a little
bit of something?"
"No--no!" was the general response.
"Indeed, Ben," said Colonel Jeffery, "if we take any more we shall
positively be ill, and I'm sure you don't wish that."
"Oh, dear, no," groaned Ben; "but it's quite clear to me, of course,
that you don't like the lunch, or else you could not have took it so
very easy."
With one accord upon this, everybody declared that they had liked it
amazingly well.
"Then you will all try a drop more ale?"
Upon this, they rose from the table, for they had a well-grounded
suspicion that if they staid any longer, Ben would try to force
something down their throats, whether they would or not.
"Ah, well," said Ben, with a sigh, when he found that they would not be
prevailed upon to take anything else. "Then we may as well go and see
the lions in the Tower."
"Oh, yes," added Johanna, "I have heard so much of them, that I quite
long to see them."
"Should you, my duck?" cried Ben; "then come along."
Here Ben would have carried Johanna again, for somehow he had got the
idea fixed in his head that the kindest thing he could possibly do as
regarded Johanna was to prevent her from using her feet; but Mark
Ingestrie interposed, saying--
"Ben, she would much rather walk. You forget, my kind friend, that she
is no longer now a child."
"Oh, dear," said Ben, with a look of profound wisdom, "if you come to
that, we are all children. Look at me, I'm only a fine baby."
Everybody laughed at this sally of Ben's, as well they might; and then,
being fully convinced that no more eating nor drinking was at all
practicable, Ben proceeded to lead the way to the lions.
"Is there any danger?" said Arabella. "I hope you will not let any of
them out of their cages, Mr. Ben."
"Oh, dear, no, there's no danger, and we don't let any of them out. We
only pokes them up a bit with a long pole, to make 'em rather lively to
visitors."
"And have no accidents ever happened?" said Johanna.
"Lord bless you, no. To be sure one of the warders, who was rather a new
hand, would put his hand in between the bars of the lion's den and get
it snapped off; and once a leopard we had here broke loose, and jumped
on the back of a sentinel, and half eat him up; but we haven't had any
accidents."
"Why, what do you call them, Ben?"
"Oh, nothing at all."
"I dare say," said Sir Richard Blunt, "that the poor warder and the
sentinel would have called those little incidents something."
"Well, perhaps they might," said Ben. "In course people will think of
themselves before anybody else; but, howsomdever, don't you be after
going to be afeard, my little dears; and if any of the beasteses was to
get out, always recollect that easy does it, and it's no use making a
fuss."
"I suppose you think, Ben, that if we are to be eaten up by a lion or a
leopard, there's no such thing as avoiding our fate," said the colonel.
"Is that your idea?"
"Well, I hardly know," said Ben. "But one day we had a young chap--a new
warder--who came here out of the country, and he said he had had a dream
the night before he came that he should be devoured by a wolf. Now we
hadn't a wolf in the Tower collection at all, so, in course, we all
laughed at him, and told him he would have to go to foreign parts to
bring his dream true. But you'd hardly believe it, that very day afore
the young fellow had been one hour in the Tower, there comes a boat to
the stairs, with an officer, and he asks to see the keeper of the
beasts, and he says to him--'My ship is lying at the Nore, and we have
brought from Friesland one of the largest wolves as ever was known for
the Tower collection,' says he, 'and he's in a large bag we made on
purpose to hold him in the boat.' Well, when the young warder heard this
he said--'That's my wolf. He has come for me!' and off he set a
trembling like anything. The wolf was brought in in a coal sack, and we
got him into an empty den that was shut up with a chain and a staple
only; but as all the fastenings were out of his reach, he could not
interfere with it if he was ever so cunning. Well, night came, and we
all took it easy, and went to bed; but in the middle of the night what
should we hear but the most horrid howling that ever you could think of,
and when we ran to the Lion Tower, where it came from, we found the iron
door of the wolf's den open, and the young warder lying, half in and
half out of it, stone dead. The wolf had had him by the throat."
"And what became of the wolf?" said Johanna.
"He was gone, and we never so much as heard of him from that day to
this."
"Well, Ben," said the colonel, "that is a very good story of the lions
in the Tower, and here we are, I think, close to them."
A terrific roar at this moment proved the colonel's words to be
tolerably true.
"Ah, they are feeding some on 'em," said Ben. "It just the time, and
they will not be convinced as easy does it."
"It is hard enough, Ben," said Sir Richard Blunt, "to convince human
beings of that piece of philosophy, to say nothing of lions and tigers."
"Oh, but," said Ben, with great gravity, "lions and tigers is generally
much more reasonable than human beings."
Another roar from the menagerie joined in as bass to the laugh with
which this piece of philosophy from so unlikely a person as Ben was
received.
"Come on," he said; "come on. They can make a noise, but that's just
about all they can do. Come on, my little dears--and if you fell at all
afeard, all you have got to do is to take hold of the lion by the nose,
and then you'll find he looks upon you as one of them as takes things
easy, and he won't say another word to you anyhow."
"We will leave that to you, Ben," said Johanna, "and in the meantime, I
will keep close to you, you know."
"Do, my little duck; and I'll just carry you."
"No--no--no!"
Johanna darted away; for if she had not done so, Ben would inevitably
have had her up in his arms by way of showing his affection for her. It
was a fixed idea of his, and was not to be shaken by any denials or
remonstrances.
And now in a few minutes, after traversing the highly picturesque and
antique passages of the Tower, the little party arrived at where the
lions were kept.
The colonel gave a caution to the late ostler of the inn in Fleet Street
to keep an eye over Hector, who not being accustomed to an introduction
to such animals as he was about to see, might fancy himself called upon
to do something out of the way upon the occasion.
"Oh, I'll watch him, sir," said the man. "Come here, Pison, will you?
and don't you be after going and interfering with wild beasteses. Lor
bless you, sir, he'll be quite glad to see 'em, and will go on speaking
of 'em for ever afterwards--I know he will."
"Here you are," said Ben, as he halted opposite the door of a lordly
lion. They all looked at the immense creature with a vast amount of
interest, for such creatures were rather rarities at that time in
London.
While our friends are thus examining the king of the forest, as he
crunches a huge beef bone with his formidable jaws, we may give a brief
account of the wild creatures that in old times were kept in the tower.
There was Pedore, a beautiful lioness, brought from Senegal, and
presented to the king by Governor V. Harora.
Cæsar, brother to Pedore, brought from the same place, and presented to
his majesty, by Captain Haycraft. He has been in the Tower about eight
months, is three years and a half old, and supposed to be the finest
lion ever seen in England. His looks strike the stoutest beholder with
astonishing awe. His head is large, being covered with a long shagged
mane that reaches to his shoulders, and adds rather to the terror than
majesty of his countenance; for his eyes being very fiery, and darting,
as it were, a kind of red flame through his long, shaggy, and
dishevelled hair, raises such an idea of fierceness as cannot be excited
in a mind unaccompanied with fear, nor can we conceive it possible for
human courage to encounter a creature of such a dreadful aspect, without
the intervention of some lucky circumstance, notwithstanding the stories
that have been related of men killing lions in equal combat. His mouth
opens wide, and discovers a frightful set of teeth; and when he roars he
may be heard at a great distance.
Miss Jane, a beautiful lioness, about six years old, brought from the
coast of Barbary, by Sir Jacob Wyatt.
Phillis, a large wolf, brought from Boulogne, in France, and presented
to his majesty by Colonel Hollingworth. It is in form not unlike a dog
of a mixed breed, and has been in the Tower about five years. These are
very ravenous creatures, which inhabit the immense forests in France and
other parts, and are a terror to men and cattle. In the severe season of
the year they come from the woods and fall ravenously upon every living
thing they meet, and have been known to enter houses in search of food.
Sukey, a North American bear, brought over by Lord Bruce. She has been
in the Tower about twelve months.
Hector, a most beautiful lion, sent from the Emperor of Morocco as a
present to his majesty. He is fourteen years old, and has been in the
Tower about ten. He greatly resembles Cæsar.
Helena, companion to Hector, a very handsome lioness, and presented also
by the Emperor of Morocco.
Miss Gregory, a beautiful leopardess, about twenty years of age. She was
sent to his late majesty by the Dey of Algiers, and presented by the
late Algerine Ambassador.
Sir Robert, a fine leopard, of a shining yellow colour intermixed with
bright spots. He was brought from Senegal by--Touchit, Esq. He has been
in his present situation about eight years, during which he has had
seven young ones by two different leopardesses. The young, however, all
died soon after being whelped, except one which lived about ten months.
Miss Nancy, a very beautiful lioness, brought from Senegal, and
presented to his majesty by -- Brady, Esq. She has been here only about
nine months, is not quite two years old, and seems very tractable.
A lion monkey. This beast is of a black colour, with very shaggy hair.
It was brought from the Cape of Good Hope, and has been here about four
months.
An American black bear, lately brought over by Colonel Clarke.
A racoon, brought from Norway by Colonel Clarke. This is a very small
beast, and exceedingly harmless. It lives on the sea-sands, and chiefly
on shell fish, which it takes in a very safe and dexterous manner; for
whenever the fish opens its shell to receive either air or nourishment,
this creature, we are told, puts a small pebble in, so that the shell
may not close again, and picks out the fish with its claws.
Rose, a large Norway wolf, presented about four years since by Herr
Widderman. He is about six years old, and appears very fierce and
ravenous.
Miss Sally, a beautiful leopardess, presented by the Emperor of Morocco,
and brought over in the same ship with Hector.
These were the principal inhabitants of what was called the Lion's
Tower; and Ben, who was never so much in his glory as when he was
describing the creatures and commenting upon them, went through the list
of them with commendable accuracy.
It was quite impossible but that the party should very much admire these
wild inhabitants of the woods and wastes of nature, and Ben was
wonderfully gratified at the fearless manner in which both Johanna and
Arabella approached the dens.
The inspection of the beasts lasted more than an hour, and then, as Sir
Richard Blunt had no more time at his disposal, they all again proceeded
to the barge that was waiting for them. Ben accompanied the party from
the Tower, as the Oakleys had invited him to dine with them.
"Ah," he said, "by the time we get to your house, cousin Oakley, I shall
be half famished. Thank goodness! I have ordered something to eat to be
put on board the barge, in case we should be sharp set."