Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/17



I was prompted by my love for wild animals to write this book.

Among my wild pets was one—a lion cub—who was so near and dear to me, that because of the love I bore him, I gained a clearer insight into the lives of other animals.

He was a woolly little rascal just a week old when I first saw him. I took him in my arms and snuggled him against my breast and kissed his round baby face freckled with black spots. He liked the caress and kissed back in his clumsy baby way. We loved each other from the first and became great friends. We played together every day and I took him little play-things that I thought would amuse him. He was so intensely interested in everything that was new to him. Whether it was a new ball to roll or some animal he had not seen before, or a little child, it was all the same to "Pompey"—they were most important and must be carefully studied.