THE CIRCUS MAN.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1986, 17 February 1914, Page 6

THE CIRCUS MAN.

AND THE iNTEftVIEWER,

, ..A eonsiderSblo portion of Wellington's juvcmlo population converged oil "tlio purlieus of faranaki Street Wharf on Sunday evening in tlio hope of getting a ghmpso of Wir-ths'' Circus, shortly due to arrive, but darkness, fell and bedtime tame, and still, there was no sign, .of the steamer conveying tha looh«kor So With promises for' the* morrow, tired guardians escorted their protesting charges homeward. It was approaching eleven o'clock when tho Wcs tralia tied up at the wharf, and tho moon, had raised her lamp oil a.deserted scene, save for a- few watprsid'oiis waiting to help in the 'Unloading operations. Midnight saw- a commeirccmoiit, and soon there -was a line of cages down tho : Wharf, the trundling along, of which was aGeompanicd by Woodmurdliiig roarings and snappy sriarliugs, oi.ifc.6f tlio hold tho niiiltifariqus of tlio circus, was hoisting. Bitt it was at .a ffiiicfc corner of tho wharf that the ino§t interesting sight was to bo 'found. Here we're ranged hvo .and tlio ponderous dun* eoloured airi.nials iii tlie moonlight had aii appear.an.ee almost . 'uucaliiiy. A-cigafette-pnffiiiK attendan.fi stooa nearby, answering Hie questions of a policeman aiid .young mail :botween the smoko.'curlings. • "Yes, had a ■be-yuth'ful trip." fro told the young man. "Had no trouble with the animals. Th'o 010 feller 'cfe>" and ho 'affectionately stro'l'ie'd tho sido of oiio of the mountains,, "was, a lectio seasick, I'oor olq chap!" And he again stroked tho dun hide,' a. huge trunk, .affectionately, swaying towards liis leg. A, I'ufch a| the head of tho column and No. 1 Mount'diu. of tho lino kneeled and sprawled Oil tho straW'StreWiv wharf. Tiro inquiring young man became interested m tlio elephant's moth'' ods of going to bed. ''This one- 'ore*." tho attendant told him., "lias not. lain .dawn for twenty years'" The questioner gazed in awe at tbe.lo.ng-srfliiding elephant; and the policeman seemed to vccogiiiso Something in co.mmon with tho .elephant when ho heard that it was sUch a'record artist ill 'going to sleep on its feet.

The young man was prompted by tiro saclit of Hie resting .elephant to make a, closer iiispeetipn-, "Are they dangerous?'* camp liiS nest query. The attendant removed Ills cigar.elte and gazed at the- tnopn. iib if making sojyjo calculation before replying., And tlicn—

''Nij," eiiiijo the drawling response! "that oho near y.cr has. lulled teii men; an* that other Olio three.'? jFhe .youthful questioner moved off scnio di'staiico towards the other end rif the .elephantine- line. Hero orio of tiio monsters was sivayiiig to and fro., lifting it's hugelegs uneasily .»$_ if marking time; tljo inassiv.o body quivering every now aii.fl then. .Pity sllon'eqi in 'tho yonng' man's *a,s wrong 'with the beast, l'vo asked.

■'Ok, it's 'just resting," blandly replied the atteirfant as the ftal-de-inor Stricken anifiial still rolled and rocked,

Undismayed,. <t;h.6 interviewer again .rose to the f 'How nTueh food (io elephants take daily ?'■ was hi* nest infarrhativo .quest, "This lectie lot o' five conspomo. ons 'und-red tons of 'ar; throa 'uueked bags of --*-"

But the interviewer waited not til bear further; of thp circus elephants' dietary; he bad noticed tho policeman broadly smiling;. So this attendant was left unmolested tp continue his. reflections- in thS iiioo'tvfigbt, •';