A BURNING MENAGERIE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2702, 16 November 1881, Page 3

A BURNING MENAGERIE.

ALONE WITH A GOEILLA. I heard from a straggler in the street that the fire was at Barnum’s Museum. This gave a renewed strength to my limbs, and I fairly flew along the street. I then made my way into the burning building from the basement and gained the first floor. A flight of steps was before me, and at the top X could through the smoke make out a door. I mounted the stairs to render what aid I could. As I got about the middle the heat warped and cracked the door, and it fell to one side, and there beyond, making right for these steps was the big gorilla. Oh, never shall I forget that dread moment. The big flames began to lick the walls, and the whole space beyond that dreadful beast was a blaze of fire. The heat and smoke were awful, and I felt my limbs shake as if palsied as I looked spell-bound at the awful hairy mass at the top of the steps. I could hear

the heavy thud of this huge foot as he glided to the stairs. I could see his huge body writhe almost with beat. The stairs were narrow, and, great heaven! when he reached me what would become of me ? I stood transfixed, spell-bound with an awful terror. One hand clasped the banisters and one the wall, and I could not have moved one finger on one of those hands to have saved my life. I hear still the shouts of the now maddened animals within the building. I heard the axes of the firemen breaking through the floors! I thought a thousand things in a second, but I could not move a hair’s breadth ! I even counted the steps between the monster and myself. There were but six—only six little steps between me and grim death! The beast came slowly on, glaring horribly at me there were but four steps. Will he seize me in those fearful arms of his, thought I, from which the matted, coarse hair hung, and toss me into the burning, seething mass of fire and flame beyond us ? Another step he came. Oh heaven I but one little short step now. I made a superhuman effort to move, if but a muscle ; but, alas! I could not. The loathsome body of the brute touched me, My breath came in gasps and my heart stood still, awe-stricken. One dread claw-like band griped upon my shoulder as the other arm of the wild beast was raised to his neck. He tugged there a moment as if for breath and strength. Now I sickened and shuddered as he threw the great mass of hair and hide over his bead and revealed a rough Celtic face within, and asked in hurried, frightened and strong Hibernian tones, “ for the love of St. Patrick show me the way out of this!”