The African Diamond Fields Advertiser, quoted in the Times of
Thursday, contains a thrilling account of a scene witnessed after all the animals of a menagerie had been let loose—at night apparently—by some person who had a grudge against the proprietor. The first act of the four lions was to attack the "jumping-horse," and it was his screams of pain and fright that awoke the four attendants, who at once attempted to recapture the enraged animals. They were, however, set upon by the lions, and literally torn limb from limb. "Having tasted blood, the lions (male and female), the cheetahs, the wolves, and the leopards seemed to regain all the ferocity of their class, and the proprietor's four Hun- garian horses and the performing horses fell victims. The elephant, frightened at the noise, in its endeavour to escape burst through the heavy iron gate and rushed into the street, followed by nearly the whole of the animals, who appear to have been startled by something while engaged in their work of carnage in the stables." A cabman named Nelson, who happened to see this strange procession, had a narrow escape. "He likened the scene to the exit from Noah's ark. An elephant came first, and a few seconds afterwards tumbled out a confused mob of lions, wolves, hymnas, baboons, leopards, cheetahs, and jackals. The wolves, with the instinct of their race, immediately rushed upon Nelson's horses, and two of the lions attacked them also." They were probably encouraged by the darkness, for escaped wild beasts in day- light are usually timid to cowardice.
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