THE GRAND CIRCUS OF THE TWO WORLDS
In about an hour Moukounj returned, joyous, and as he came near me he
embraced my trunk.
"Ah! my brave companion! My faithful friend! How great is the wisdom of
the Sage who says: '_He who is clever will be a stranger in no country;
for him who is contented with little, there is no anxiety; for him who
is wise, there are no surprises; for him who is determined, nothing is
impossible!_'--How true are these sayings! And equally so is this one:
'_The life of mankind is as uncertain as the reflection of the Moon on
water; for this reason we must practise Virtue!_' ... Yes--yes--we must
practise Virtue; and it is because I have done so, and because I have
so cheerfully endured my misfortunes, that to-day the Gods have sent me
better luck!"
He ceased speaking, and danced around me, clapping his hands. Then he
resumed:
"Yes, yes, old fellow! life is, indeed, as uncertain as the reflection
of the Moon on water. When I was young and was studying books of
wisdom at Lahore, I would have laughed at anyone who told me that I
would one day be employed in unloading ships on the wharf at Calcutta;
and yesterday I would have laughed at him who said that to-day I
should belong to the troupe of Mr. John Hardwick, Director of the
'_Grand Circus of the Two Worlds_'--and nevertheless--that is what has
happened!"
He hugged me again, and continued:
"Oh, my friend! My saviour! thou, who, for all I know, may be Ganesa
Himself!... Henceforth, we shall have a sure refuge! We will no longer
have to sleep in a ditch by the roadside on rainy nights.... We will
not have to go hungry! No! we shall live in comfort, well-paid, and fed
by the kind Mr. John Hardwick.... Good Fortune has found us at last!"
And thereupon he told me of his interview.
"I went to the Hotel Victoria," said he; "I asked for Mr. John
Hardwick, and was shown into the presence of a man, still young,
but of so serious and grave an appearance that I felt timid and
embarrassed--I who had never before felt fear! (For, what says the
Sage? _'In the forest, in the jungle, on perilous roads, in fierce
encounters, and in troubles, under the threatenings of swords--Virtuous
men feel no fear!_) Mr. Hardwick had with him the young man who spoke
to me the other day, whom he called Mr. Oldham. On seeing me this young
man said:
"'Ah! this is the man I spoke to you about, who has the clever
elephant,' And he began at once to sound your praises, talking about
something which I could not quite understand; he spoke continually of
an 'iron ring' with which he had seen you playing....
"Mr. Hardwick then asked if I would sell you.
"'I?--Sell an elephant sent to me by the Gods ... who perhaps is a God
himself?... Never!--Never!' said I.
"'That is a pity,' said Mr. Oldham: 'for this elephant would
undoubtedly be a great addition to the attractions of our company.'
"'Well, it cannot be helped,' said Mr. Hardwick.
"I was about to retire when Mr. Oldham signed to me to remain, and
addressing Mr. Hardwick, said:
"'Perhaps matters might be arranged in a way that would be satisfactory
to all. How would it do to engage both the elephant and his master?"
"'Give me five minutes to think,' said Mr. Hardwick. Oh! there is a man
who knows how to make up his mind in a hurry! The five minutes being
ended, Mr. Hardwick turned to me and asked:
"'Will you agree to form, with your elephant, a part of our Troupe?'
"As for me I had no need to ask time for reflection; it took me but
a minute to make up my mind, and accept!... To tell the truth, I did
not exactly understand in what way Mr. John Hardwick was expecting to
employ us; but he seemed to be a man of wealth, who would at any rate
provide us with a living. So I said, 'Yes,' And I do not think that I
shall regret it."
And once more, singing and laughing, he capered around me. Then, all at
once becoming serious, he added:
"Mr. Oldham later on told me something of Mr. Hardwick's business.
It seems he exhibits trained animals; and the members of his company
perform feats of strength and skill. So now, my friend, in place of
toiling and exhausting yourself in hard work, you have only to amuse
the public with your accomplishments--and we shall never know want
again!"
I must confess I was not so delighted as my master. Although I had
been glad to divert dear ones like Saphire-of-Heaven and Parvati, I
felt very disinclined to entertain those to whom I was indifferent. My
present life was certainly hard enough, but at least it afforded me
an opportunity to indulge my regrets; while I understood that I would
be called upon to be gay at stated times, even if the most melancholy
thoughts were at the moment distressing me. However, I could not spoil
the happiness of Moukounj, and I responded in a friendly manner.
We soon left the wharf, and went to join Mr. John Hardwick. And thus
it was that I entered the company of "_The Grand Circus of the Two
Worlds_."
That evening Mr. Hardwick introduced us to his Troupe. He had hired a
large vacant space on which his circus was encamped; it was a great
framework of wood and iron, which could be set up and taken down very
quickly. When put together it presented a very elegant and comfortable
appearance, and no one would suppose that only a few hours would be
required to take it apart and pile it on the chariots. It was arranged
in two sections--the Circus proper with the Ring and the Benches, and
the Stables, with rooms where the grooms and inferior employees of the
company were accommodated; the important members lodged at the Hotel,
with the Director. When we reached the Circus, Mr. Hardwick designated
the place I was to occupy in the Stable, and the room which Moukounj
(who refused to allow anyone else to look after me) was to share with
one of the grooms.
We were then conducted to the Ring, where all the company were
assembled. They were the very persons whom I had seen arriving three
days before.
The Director then made a speech, as follows:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you Monsieur Moukounj
and his Elephant. My valued friend and assistant, Mr. Oldham, informs
me that this Elephant is a remarkable animal, whom he has seen execute
a difficult and interesting exercise without any previous instruction.
As a member of our Troupe, he will do honour to our Company, already so
celebrated. I bespeak, therefore, a kind reception for the _Elephant_
and his _Master_."
The Company came forward very politely, one after another, to greet
Moukounj, and to caress me; and Mr. Hardwick, addressing Moukounj,
introduced each one by name.
"This, Monsieur, is Mr. Oldham, with whom you are already acquainted.
He is our Premier Clown, and Stage Manager.
"This is Mr. Edward Greathorse, our Ringmaster, and his wife, one
of the most distinguished Equilibrists in the world, and their two
children, Master William Greathorse, who has not his equal for vaulting
through a paper circle, and coming down plumb in the right spot on his
horse--and Miss Annie Greathorse, who has made a study of the Trapeze,
and has acquired all the secrets of that difficult art."
Mr. and Mrs. Greathorse did not please me at all. Mr. Greathorse was
a very tall, thin man of about forty; one felt at once that he was in
the habit of speaking only to horses--and of speaking to them brutally!
Mrs. Greathorse was about the same age as her husband, and quite as
tall. She was as fat as he was thin; her vulgar face had a look of
hardness, and her nose was extraordinarily flat. The reason of this I
learned later on; it was occasioned by her specialty of balancing upon
that feature a pole with a heavy iron ball on the end!
Master Greathorse, who might have been about seventeen or eighteen
years old, displeased me excessively; he had a sly look, and seemed to
enjoy nothing so much as playing malicious jokes at the expense of the
other members of the company. The only one of the family who attracted
me was Miss Annie. She was a very young girl, almost a child, not over
fifteen at the outside, and very fragile, with arms developed out of
all proportion by her exercise on the trapeze. It was easy to see that
she worked too hard and was a sufferer; she had a pale, gentle face and
fair, pretty hair.
After the Greathorses there advanced six persons, all wonderfully
alike, although their ages varied from nine or ten to thirty-five years.
"The Smith Brothers, Monsieur," said Mr. Hardwick: "most interesting
gentlemen!--Until you have seen them form the 'uman Pyramid,' you do
not know to what heights the Acrobatic Art has attained!"
The "Smith Brothers" all smiled at once, with the same smile, which
seemed to have coagulated and become a fixture upon their lips.
The next to come forward was a very pretty and elegant young woman:
"Miss Clara Morley, our accomplished 'Amazon'--you will have an
opportunity to admire her in her clever equestrian exercises."
After Miss Morley came three men and three women, none of them either
fat or thin, tall or short, handsome or ugly--but all very well dressed
and civil.
"Our Riders, Mr. and Mrs. Crampton, Mr. and Mrs. Bampton, and Mr. and
Mrs. Mapton."
Mr. Hardwick next presented:
"Mr. Nilo Bong, the famous Gymnast from Tonquin--the Ulverstone
Sisters, Miss Jane and Miss Lucy Ulverstone, who every evening,
Monsieur, astonish and delight the audience by their dexterity on the
Horizontal Bar.
"Mr. Pound--to whom the lifting of a two-hundred pound weight is a mere
joke, and Mrs.
"Mr. Pound, his wife, the '_Fairy of the Revolver_'--at 100 feet she
would not miss a nut!...
"Mr. Tom Liverpool, the Champion Pugilist, whom no one has ever been
able to vanquish!
"Miss Alice Jewel, who crosses the Ganges at its widest part on a
Wire!"...
All these people I found uninteresting and insignificant. Mr. Nilo Bong
might call himself a Chinese, and his eyes were a little oblique, but
his complexion proved him to be a European; Mr. Pound and Mr. Liverpool
were huge men, but very unintelligent in appearance; Mrs. Pound was a
small woman--very thin, with a sharp expression; Miss Jane and Miss
Lucy Ulverstone were modest, well-mannered young women, who bowed
politely.
There remained to be introduced only four more persons, two men, and
two women.
The two men were strikingly alike, and both bore a singular resemblance
to Mr. Oldham; but the features which in him were merely quaint and
amusing, were in them so exaggerated as to be grotesque; and the oddity
of their appearance was increased by an affected air of extreme gravity.
When their turn came to be introduced; "Mr. Trick and Mr. Trock,
Monsieur" said Mr. Hardwick: "I should not hesitate to call them the
most brilliantly amusing Clowns in the world, if they themselves
did not recognize their superior in Mr. Oldham ... they are Gaiety's
favorite children!"...
Messrs. Trick and Trock bowed to Moukounj, and a very handsome young
woman with black eyes and golden hair approached:
"Miss Sarah Skipton, Monsieur--the divine Artiste to whom we owe the
_'Dance of Light'_."
Miss Sarah Skipton bowed pleasantly, and last of all Mr. Hardwick
presented a young girl who seemed to me the very embodiment of
grace--with hair of delicate blond, and blue eyes that were a smile in
themselves.
"Miss Sarah Skipton is, one may say, the Star of our Troupe; Miss Circé
Nightingale is the Pearl! She is the gentle '_Charmer of Birds_' and
when you see her surrounded by her escort of warblers and nightingales,
you would take her as one of your divine Goddesses!..."
Circé Nightingale smiled graciously on Moukounj, and caressed me with
her pretty hand a long time--for which I thanked her, feeling that
already we were friends.
To sum up, all these people, with the exception of Mr. and Mrs.
Greathorse, young Greathorse, and Mrs. Pound, seemed fairly agreeable,
and I felt that it ought not to be particularly unpleasant to live with
them. For four of them I already felt a certain sympathy; the elegance
of Miss Clara Morley pleased me; she seemed so gentle with animals,
and it was evidently not by severity that she managed her horses.
For Miss Annie Greathorse I felt a sincere pity; I was sure that she
was unhappy and badly treated, and thought that perhaps the time
might come when I would be able to protect her. I admired the radiant
beauty of Miss Sarah Skipton, and the exquisite grace of Miss Circé
Nightingale delighted me; and I said to myself: "I shall have here four
Friends--and four Enemies!"
When the Troupe had all been introduced, Mr. Hardwick said to Moukounj:
"This is our first evening in Calcutta, and I would like to present
your elephant to the public as soon as possible; what is his name?"
"As it was at a time of distress that he came to me, from I know not
where, and as he brought me consolation--I call him 'Devadatta,' which
in our language signifies 'Sent-by-the-Gods.'"
"Very good! We will then call him on our bills, '_The Famous Elephant
Devadatta_'.... But, tell me, is there not one of your gods whom you
represent with the head of an elephant?"
"The Divine Ganesa, God of Wisdom, has an elephant's head," replied
Moukounj.
"Excellent!" cried Mr. Hardwick: "'_The Famous Elephant Devadatta,
Brother of Ganesa_, _in his various Acts_'--that is the thing! What do
you think of that, Mr. Oldham?"
"It will be admirable," replied Mr. Oldham.
"Now," continued Mr. Hardwick, "we must decide what exercises to teach
him. You are the one who discovered him, and it is to you that I shall
confide his education."
"I feel honoured, Mr. Hardwick," said Mr. Oldham; "his lessons will not
take long, and will be commenced at once. But first, I would like to
have him repeat before you the game with which he was amusing himself
on the wharf."
Mr. Oldham ordered the Iron Ring to be brought, and I understood that I
was to play with it as I had done before. Mr. Hardwick was satisfied.
"That is very well," said he, "and if he could play with several at a
time it would be perfection."
Some more Rings were brought; I threw them all into the air and
caught them all on my trunk, I did not miss one. And Mr. Hardwick was
enthusiastic.