“In the year 1833 he had the honour of exhibiting before Her Majesty the Queen. She sent for him expressly, and he went to Buckingham Palace. He never would tell anybody what she gave him; but everybody considered that he had been handsomely rewarded. A few days after this there was a gentleman came to him at Waterloo-bridge (he was there all the time the bridge was building), and this party engaged him and his happy family, and took him down to exhibit at the Mechanics’ Institution, down at Hull. I don’t know what he got for the journey. After that he was engaged to go to the Mechanics’ Institution in Liverpool. He travelled in this way all about the country, engaged at the different Institutions.
“I was with him as assistant for eight years before he died, and a better master there could not be living in the world. I had been travelling with him through Kent, showing the happy family, and business run bad and did not meet his approbation, so he at last said he would return to his station on Waterloo-bridge. Then I was left in the country, so I started a collection of animals for myself. It was a small collection of two monkeys, white rats and piebald ones, cats, dogs, hawks, owls, magpies, ferrets, and a cotamundi, a long-nosed animal from the Brazils.
“I came to London after working in the country. He was perfectly agreeable to my exhibiting in the streets. He was a good old man, and I wish I knew how to be as good, for I can’t know how to be as good. I took the West-end, and he kept to the bridge. For a time I did pretty well. I’d take about 6s. a-day, but then it cost me 1s. a-day for feeding the collection; and then I had a quantity of things given to me, such as bits of meat at the butchers’, and so on. In 1851 my stand was in Regent-street, by the corner of Castle-street. I did there very well when the Exhibition was open, and as soon as it was done I fell from taking about 8s. a-day down to 1s., and that’s speaking the truth. Then I shifted my post, and went and pitched upon Tower-hill. I done pretty well for the first 18 months as I was there. The sailors was the most generous people to me, and those I had most to depend upon whilst I was on Tower-hill. I’ve taken 8s. in one day on Tower-hill, and I’ve also been there, and stood there eight hours on Tower-hill and only taken 1½d. It was all casual as could be. I can say I took on the average 3s. a-day then, and then I had to feed the collection. I stayed at Tower-hill till I found that there wasn’t positively a living to be made any longer there, and then I shifted from place to place, pitching at the corners of streets, and doing worse and worse, until I actually hadn’t hardly strength to drag my cage about—for it’s a tidy load. Then I returns to the old man’s original spot, on Waterloo-bridge, to try that; for the old man was dead. The first five or six weeks as I was there, during the summer, I got a tolerable good living, and I continued there till I wasn’t able to get a crust for myself. I was obliged to leave it off, and I got a situation to go to work for a firework-maker in the Westminster-road. Now I only take to the streets when I have no other employment. It isn’t barely a living. I keep my collection always by me, as a resource when no other work is in hand, but if I could get constant employment I’d never go out in the streets no more.
“The animal that takes the longest to train is the ferret. I was the first that ever introduced one into a cage, and that was at Greenwich. It’s a very savage little animal, and will attack almost anything. People have a notion that we use drugs to train a happy family; they have said to me, ‘It’s done with opium;’ but, sir, believe me, there is no drugs used at all: it’s only patience, and kindness, and petting them that is used, and nothing else of any sort. The first ferret as I had, it killed me about 2l. worth of things before I could get him in any way to get into the happy family. He destroyed birds, and rabbits, and guinea-pigs; and he’d seize them at any time, whether he was hungry or not. I watched that ferret till I could see that there was a better method to be used with a ferret, and then I sold my one to a rat-catcher, and then I bought two others. I tried my new system, and it succeeded. It’s a secret which I used, so I can’t mention it, but it’s the simplest thing in the world. It’s not drawing their teeth out, or operating on them; it’s only kindness and such-like, and patience. I put my new ferrets into the cage, and there they have been ever since, as may have been seen on Tower-hill and such places as I’ve pitched on. My ferrets would play with the rats and sleep at night with them, while I’ve put them in the rat-box along with the rats, to carry them home together at night. My ferrets would come and eat out of my mouth and play with children, or anything. Now, I’ll tell you this anecdote as a proof of their docility. They caught a rat one night at the Coopers’ Arms public-house, Tower-hill, and they gave it to me, and I put it into the cage. The landlord and gentlemen in the parlour came out to see it, and they saw my ferrets hunt out the new-comer and kill him. They tossed over the white and brown and black rats that belonged to me, and seized the public-house rat and killed him. I always took the dead bodies away when they were killed, and didn’t let the ferrets suck their blood, or anything of that. I’ve trained my animals to that state, that if I wasn’t to feed them they’d sit down and starve by each other’s side without eating one another.
“The monkey is almost as bad as a ferret for training for a happy family, for this reason—when they are playing they use their teeth. They are the best playfellows in the world, and never fall out or cry when they bite. They are the life and amusement of the company.
“Now, this is a curious thing with the ferret’s nature. If he’s ever so well trained for a happy family, he will always be avenged if he’s crossed. For instance, if the ferret has a bit of meat, and the hawk comes near him and claws him, he’ll, if it’s months afterwards, kill that hawk. He’ll wait a long time, but he’s sure to kill the hawk, he’s that spiteful. So that when he’s crossed he never forgives. When the monkey and the ferret play, they always use their teeth, not to bite, but it’s their nature in their play. Mr. Monkey, when he has played with Mr. Ferret till he has made him in a rage, will mount the perches and take Mr. Ferret by the tail and swing him backwards and forwards. The ferret gets into an awful rage, and he’ll try all he knows to get hold of Mr. Monkey, but Mr. Monkey will pat him on the head, and knock him back as he tries to turn round and bite him. The ferret is the kindest of animals when at play. He don’t bear no rancour to Mr. Monkey for this. He never cares for a bit of fun, but if it’s an insult as is offered him, such as taking his food, he won’t rest till he’s revenged.
“The danger with a monkey is this. Now I’ve got a puppy as was give me by a friend of mine, and I both respects the gentleman as give it me and the mother of the little dog, and I’ve taken all the pains in the world to train this pup to the happy family, but he’s a yelping, noising animal. Now, my monkey is the most pleasant and best-tempered one in the world, and the amusement and delight of all who see him, as many on Waterloo-bridge can testify. Whenever this monkey goes near the dog, it howls at him. So the monkey plays with him, pulling his tail and nibbling his ears and hair, and biting his toe, and so on. Anything that’ll play with the monkey, it’s all right, and they are the best friends in the world; but if they show any fear, then it’s war, for the monkey won’t be put upon. Now, there’s another pup in the same cage which the monkey is just as fond of. They play open-mouthed together, and I’ve seen Mr. Monkey put his arms round the pup’s neck and pull it down, and then they go to sleep together. I’ve actually seen when a lady has given the monkey a bit of biscuit, or what not, he’s gone and crumbled some bits before the pup to give it its share. This is truth. My monkey is a lady monkey.
“The monkeys are very fond of cuddling the rats in their arms, like children. They also pull their tails and swing them. The rats are afraid, and then Mr. Monkey keeps on teasing them. If ever Mr. Rat do turn round and bite Mr. Monkey, he’s sure to feel it by and by, for he’ll get a swing by his tail, and he’ll catch the tail whilst he’s trying to run away, and bite the tip, and worry him near out of his life. A Monkey is the peace-maker and peace-breaker of a collection. He breaks peace first and then he’ll go and caress afterwards, as much as to say, ‘Never mind, it’s only a lark.’ He’s very fond of the cat—for warmth, I think. He’ll go and cuddle her for an hour at a time; but if Miss Puss won’t lay still to suit his comfort, he takes her round the neck, and tries to pull her down, and if then she turn’s rusty, he’s good to go behind her, for he’s afraid to face her, and then he’ll lay hold of the tip of her tail and give her a nip with his teeth. The cat and monkey are the best of friends, so long as Miss Puss will lie still to be cuddled and suit his convenience, for he will be Mr. Master, and have everything to suit his ways. For that reason I never would allow either of my cats to kitten in the cage, because Mr. Monkey would be sure to want to know all about it, and then it would be all war; for if he went to touch Miss Puss or her babies, there would be a fight. Now a monkey is always fond of anything young, such as a kitten, and puss and he’d want to nurse the children. A monkey is kind to everything so long as it ain’t afraid of him, but if so be as it is, then the bullying and teasing begins. My monkey always likes to get hold of a kitten, and hold it up in his arms, just the same as a baby.
“There’s often very good amusement between the owl and the monkey in this way. The monkey will go and stare Mr. Owl in the face, and directly he does so Mr. Owl will begin swaying from side to side; and then Mr. Monkey will pat him in the face or the nose. After he’s bullied the owl till it’s in a awful rage, the owl will take and dive at Mr. Monkey with his open claws, and perhaps get on his back. Then Mr. Monkey will go climbing all over the cage, chattering at the owl, and frightening him, and making him flutter all about. My owls can see well enough in the day-time, for they are used to be in the open air, and they get used to it.
“I compare my monkey to the clown of the cage, for he’s mischievous, and clever, and good-natured. He’ll never bully any of them very long after he sees they are in a regular passion, but leave them and go to some other bird or beast. One of my pups is my monkey’s best friend, for neither of them are ever tired of playing.