‘Good day,’ said the keeper to him, ’here’s a pair of boots for you! put outside the door to be blacked every morning, for five francs a day.  It’s the dearest job I ever undertook...and the boots are ungrateful!  Here, Pierre,’ he continued to the man who helped him, ’he shines enough; take away the breshes, and bring me the sand-paper to rub up his tusks.  Talk about polished beasts!  I believe, myself, that we beat all other shows to pieces on this ’ere point.  Some beasts are more knowing than others; for example, them monkeys in that cage there.  Give that big fool of a shimpanzy that bresh, Pierre, and let the gentleman see him operate on tother monkeys.’

Pierre gave the large monkey a brush, and, to Caper’s astonishment, he saw the animal seize it with one paw, then springing forward, catch a small monkey with the other paw, and holding him down, in spite of his struggles, administer so complete a brushing over his entire body that every hair received a touch.  The other monkeys in the cage were in the wildest state of excitement, evidently knowing from experience that they would all have to pass under the large one’s hands; and when he had given a final polish to the small one, he commenced a vigorous chase for his mate, an aged female, who, evidently disliking the ordeal, commenced a series of ground and lofty tumblings that would have made the fortune of even the distinguished—­Leotard.  In vain:  after a prolonged chase, in which the inhabitants of the cage flew round so fast that it appeared to be full of flying legs, tails, and fur, the large monkey seized the female and, regardless of her attempts to liberate herself, he brushed her from head to foot, to the great delight of a Swiss soldier, an infantry corporal, who had entered the menagerie a few minutes before the grand hunt commenced.

‘Ma voi!’ said the Swiss, pronouncing French with a broad German accent, ’it would keef me krate bleshur to have dat pig monkey in my gombany.  He would mak’ virst rait brivate.’

The keeper, who was still polishing away with sand-paper at the elephant’s tusks, and who evidently regarded the soldier with great contempt, said to him: 

‘He would have been there long since—­only he knows too much.’

’Ma voi! that’s the reason you’re draining him vor a Vrench gavalry gombany.  Vell, I likes dat.’

‘Oh! no,’ said the keeper, ’his principles an’t going to allow him to enter our army.’

‘Vell, what are his brincibles?’

‘To serve those who pay best!’ quoth the Frenchman, who, in the firm faith that he had said a good thing, called Pierre to help him adorn the lion, and turned his back on the Swiss, who, in revenge, amused himself feeding the monkeys with an old button, a stump of a cigar, and various wads of paper.

The keeper then gave the lion a narcotic, and after this medicine, combed out his mane and tail, waxed his mustache, and thus made his toilette for the day.  The tiger and leopards had their stripes and spots touched up once a week with hair-dye, and as this was not the day appointed, Caper missed this part of the exhibition.  The hyenas submitted to be brushed down; but showed strong symptoms of mutiny at having their teeth rubbed with a toothbrush and their nails pared.