THE PROFESSOR AND THE TIGER The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 48, 28 November 1907, Page 3

THE PROFESSOR AND THE TIGER

The Storyteller

- Bravery, doctor (paid my friend, the third officer) isn't such a simple thing as you- think it. One man is brave in one way, and another in a different one. Often enough, that which is called is nothing more than 'custom. • You would not go up . on the fore-royal-yard in half a gale to .reef sale, would" you? Not you ! You'd be afraid. Well, 'you might think me a brave man because" I would. . But, then, I'd be afraid to cut" a chap's leg off, and you wouldn't. That was what .old Captain Hoskins, whom I used to sail wuu, could never understand. - If a man was a bit nervous about, the sea, he used to look down on him as all sorts of a J coward. But there came a day when he learned better. It happened when 1 was with him in a threerm&sted sailing ship" called the ' Arrow. 1 We lay at Singapore, alongside the Tanjong Pagan Wharf, loading with" general cargo for Liverpool. The principal object in that cargo— or at least the one we took most notice of— was a tiger that we -were "shipping for London. it lay' in a strong cage 1 of wood and iron, with a door "in the front through which it could be fed. It was a "line big brute, and every time it stretched, itself you "- could see x the muscles slipping over ifcs sides, arid the big, 1 wicked-looking claws peeping out of the pads of its feet in a way that made you very thankful for the bars. We had a passenger or two. - One of them was a young girl who went .by the name of Hilda Sandford. She had been- a governess in the family of one of our agents out. there, but the climate hadn't suited her, and she had to go home. She was conning with us instead of by the steamer because she got her passage for nothing, and she wasn't too well off Directly the old man set eyes, on her trim figure and the wealth of golden brown hair about her head he was struck all of a heap, so to speak-, ? and - 1 .could see that he was promising himself a- miglftfy' pleasant voyage. The other passenger was a strange, little, _dried-up ■ man, who wore gold pince-nez and kept peering about the ship in a most uncomfortable way. He gave his name as Mr. Hay — Professor Hay, he called himself," though we didn't find out what he professed until-later. Of course, the- tiger had its attendant, but he berthed forward. An hour or two before we started this Mr. Hay carre up to ~ the old man and Tjegan asking him a lot of questions. ' Captain,' he said nervously, ',1 hope we shall have a quiet passage.' ' I don't see why we shouldn't,' said Hoskins, genially. . - Mr. Hay looked up at the sky. ' There seeirs to be a good • deal of wind about,' he , said. • - - ' Pretty .fair,' said Hoskins. ' Tha,t's what's going to take us home. - Not being a steamer, we can't do without it.' , • | • You're 'sure it's safe? • asked Hay. ' Safe !. ' says the old mian, getting on his- high! horse ; ' safe ! I'm sailing this ship.' The little man smiled apologetically. c You will excuse me, captain,' he said ; ' I did not mean any offence. " The fact is, I am constitutionally ' nervous on/ ship-board. It is a feeling that I Ji&ve never been able to overcome.' The old man looked at him with a sort of good-na-tured contempt. • ' You've, no call to be alarmed,' he said; 'we'll take you to .England safe enough.' - Mr. Hay smiled "again and walked off into the waist,' where we -had fiixed up. the tiger's cage. It seemed, to have a sort of attraction for him, for he stopd before it for at ' least a quarter of an hour. Hoskins looked after him, and then turned to Miss Sandford, who was silting near. 1 Nice sort of chap to have on a ship,' he said. C A man like that ought to stick to dry land.' 1 Well, you know, I have a fellow-feeling, for him, captain,' she answered ; • 1 am afraid of the sea myself.' - c Ah,' he said, • but you're a woman, you see. A bit of fear is all right in a worwan. - It's natural to them, .but with a man it's different. A man ought to be afraid of nothing.' "'And are you' afraid of nothing, captain?' she asked. 1 Not I,' said Hoskins. • c You can have the biggest

storm ever hatched by the China seas and I'll thank -you for it. It brings out all the good in ' a man.' It must be nice to be brave,' she exclaimed. ' Oh, it's all right when you're used to it ' said Hoskins, modestly. ' A brave man and a pretty woman are two of the finest sights in creation. They ought always to be together.' There was something in his tone that made her blush. And though she said she agreed with him, she took the first opportunity of- clearing off to another part of the deck. , Shortly afterwards we put to sea. For Ihe - next few days we had the best of weather and everything went smoothly. J had my time pretty well taken up with my work, but for all that 1 could see one or + WW O ° ln)gS that set , me JhinJking. The first was that 4 ™- H*" 1 was makin S himself uncommonly attentive to Miss Sandford. The second was that this Mr Hay in a quiet and timid sort of way, was ' thinking a' good dea of her too. Hoskins saw quickly enough that he had a rival, but .as he had started off with dve^?/ m^ l° r h 4 m he didn>t disturb himself over and above much. For my part, I fought the fouldnT^l^^J^ 1 than Hoskins '• and *hou|h she couldnt avoid the old man, and could not help listening to his sea yarns, I could see her eyes turnine forward toward the waist, where Hay was putting iS his time looking at the tiger. S a^rf iem^ n the ! ki PP er was sitting beside Miss Sandford on the poop-deck, when Hay came up the companion and made his way toward them he Jid ere>S « 7t s , ometh + in S l want to tell you, captain,' he said. It's getting on my mind and' makinc me quite uncomfortable: xiiat man whose busings TAs™ look after the tiger isn't doing his work nroDerlv miV nn * imal lsnt g^ing enough food. It ii Pd?vlS- S,pf a SaVa S e ature - And yesterday when 1 went to ! reaHv S^™* J* \l°^ d that he Was i^oxiSated i really think you should interfere.' RntlT./n 1 ?4 ma . n shoulti have interfered, iiut he didn't like being told his .duty by the little fust eS i°e r ere? PeClally Wh€n the girl was " a *out. So he he said SUPP ° Se yy ° Uie aflaid ° f the beast esca P in S ? ' a e bO u c r y rr t^\rt^ s - j - «**»& . Bn '? c ' s "O* one of my crew,' said Hoskins. ' I have enough to do to look-, after them. If any of them let e^i%\^ ° f , *• + But the eha P fh l atT^ IVs^l^lsa^?^^^1 Vs^ l^ls a^?^^^ If H^ r n e to the beast y9U> ' d bJer loo * tl * mv wTJI! 6 m nC Said - t?he P rof essor stiffly, ' that is not w f eS ''u? e anlmal does not belong to me. I no moiT' belieVG t0 be my dut^ : L Can ?£w rned f Way with out even a glance at the girl. fri-hSSJ T^ Sal>d Hoskins » looking after him, 'is fughtened of his own shadow. Let me give you aMt iL 'for^m^^' MiSS Sandf ° r<l - W^ n WSJ look! & v, an to mari T. never select a coward. A +^ Q o % l ou Wants some one who will protect her in " 5 to.' J S ° me °" c ShC Can rely on and look shvi'v 1 ' 111 ' H^t th h inikil }g of Siting married,' she said, 'captain.' °' A U b€ar yOUr advice in mmd ' And i o h = at ff SS v it> ' f?- id Hoskin s. ' Think over it carefully. ' think "veTtfaf^o.™^^' Pd be glad if y °^ d She started like a frightened horse. Whatto yoS Pt me n an : - She Baid " '* understandchair V 2 U iff fc i; nderstand '' he said tenderly, drawing his] cnau a bib nearer to her. ' Miss Sandford ! Hilda ! Haven t you a word for a poor old seaman who worn£l r?l Tif 7 g round y° u tread on ? Think over it. None but the bTave deserve the fair, you know.' • ' Yo « ,, m ustn't speak like this,' she exclaimed, rising as though she was distressed. ' You are older than I am. And I don't know that you are a brave man. I have only your word for v it. Please don't ' speak to me about this again.' The old man saw that he had gone a little bit too far. 'Wait!' he said; • don't -le frightened. I promise not to say a word until we reach England. Before we get there, if we have a bit of rough weather, I'll show you the sort of man I am. I should love a bit ~ of danger for your sake.' The next few days he went about whistlings for a

wind, as though he wanted to send us all to Davy Jones locker. I believe he would have been glad of a typhoon just to show his seamanship and his conmSfti J3f -+ anger< a AS f° r h J S seama -nship, no one ever questioned it; and as for his contempt for danger, he , 2? M X£S? all right - thoush not » th/tirY^w 0 "-? a Week - er his conversation with the girl that it came. Hilda was sitting on the ZmZ ?m re H dl 5S5 S a b ?A k * The old man mar! ching up and . down with a ,quarter-deck trot, casting glances at her, thinking how pretty she' was when suddenly he let off a howl &at have frfghtS T epI TS and sprang into the port mizzenrig. gmg. I wasn't far off him at the time, and I looked saw wh'ktT^T 1 ? whethei ' h ? had gone' mad. Tnen I saw what he had seen, and I went up the starbWd Sorr^S" oll^ aS -l uick - ly as he had gone Zp the Hnslnnf ™/ h if girl ? iS f d her head and up at Hoslans and he gaped down at her- and tried to < VnJ" t^^J I™*1 ™** 00 ™ 1 * only make faces: rigging VKiger t2l > at laSt - ' ° ome "P «» She sprang to her, feet. and looked about her Not four yards away from her the tiger was playing with her at the'Z™^ Tl V T^ ,, n ° Sort of alten&J to •I • a .? he mom ent, but she felt that it might takp she'lLnd 8 if tto Spl ' ing , at her ™y ™Tt! As Sfn- n ? +£ v aS ° ornered between the stern of the dnrfp w t hG °? X l door - There was n o^ing to be done but to climb up the rigging She tried n w»t Hosfcins was just going down to give her' a hand - Thef^e^dV^ JSS» r °aa forne^e th?"?™ bptW€e \ eyes - Pd *<* rd of the power of S th a ? an f^P before TVT V but X had never believed it until wit r?r ?i 001 l- He kept waging forward,' pushing back Intn ? ? ntly befor « him right into the wait and back into its cage. When he had it safely fastened or' worrtT a & aih ' floosng f Io osng not the least fit SSted "A^S. a?d put the broom carefully back into its place. The girl was looking hard at hiir, and her evA were shining, but he didn't seem to S' aware of T SSS."* h f ad . come , down and was looking I trifle ' ashamed of himsel . He hadn't known it wits so easy to push tigers back into their cages with a broom or he maght have had a try at it. Aftlr a bit h°e^p OO k c t, hat wa . s a fine ' bit of w ork. sir,' he said 'If I hadn't seen it I couldn't have believed it.' h.^iW t nothi ' n g»'. , sai d the professor. 'It's my business. I tame wild animals.' - y *; rvT t e - r that he seemed to dismiss the whole subiect 47' hiS SS? and +I went d own into the Sfn B^t I saw him later m the evening talking to that trirl and tor'X, M? someth ing Sonant to saftoher^ foi when the old man met her next morning and began making excuses for himself she cut him IhSt. to ma^Tbrave man ?■ d ° yy ° U remember advisin S »• ' '« m d ,?',' said H - osldn s, a bit puzzled. r» ?o c Jffi s y °^L a J ked me 7esterday ; and .Which shows you, doctor, that bravery is very m,iinV. .even a chance to show himself.-' Sketch.'