At this moment Mr. Mellermann, who is one of the finest wild beast
trainers in the world, entered the circle with his whip in his hand,
which, as he entered, he cracked smartly, causing the animals to
spring sharply to attention upon their little seats. Karl Hagenbeck
introduced me to Mr. Mellermann, who is indeed his own brother-in-law
as well as being his trainer.
"What is your rule of training, Mr. Mellermann?" said I.
"Kindness and coolness and firmness," he replied, "as you will see in
this performance. Come on, pussies," he continued, "show this
gentleman how you can run round the circle."
The pussies, as he called them, fairly big tigers as I should have
considered them, unwillingly crept off their seats, growling not a
little. Mr. Mellermann cracked his whip smartly, but did not hit
them. The animals then began to run very prettily round and round the
circle. So well did they do their little tricks that Mr. Mellermann
said: "Now you shall have some sugar, you have been very good." He
placed in my hand a few lumps of sugar which I myself gave to them,
greatly to their pleasure. Then a pyramid was formed by some young
tigers, some lions, a couple of ponies, and four young goats. The
pyramid itself consisted of a small double ladder upon the steps of
which the animals somewhat nervously took their places, and upon which
they stood gazing quietly down upon us, until they were told that they
might go back to their places. After a while, when school was over,
the goats and ponies left the arena, and then the door of a big cage,
which gave upon the circle, was thrown wide open. It was pretty to see
the little lions and tigers running home, for all the world like an
infant school dismissed to play. The pretty creatures gambolled about
for a short while in their cage, and then lay down to rest.