The famous Gemini Circus had been in the town for some weeks. It had been attracting very large crowds. The people were full of praise for the daring skill of the men and women and the feats of the animals—the lions and the elephants. The whole town was full of praise. During the last summer vacation I had an occasion to see the Circus with the members of my family.
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The whole place was brightly lit. There was a vast crowd of people—men, women and children. There was a great rush at the booking-window. We bought tickets and went in. A band was playing. Many people were already seated in the galleries. Others were sitting on the ground. The show had not actually started and there was a lot of noise of people. One could also hear the roar of the hungry lions in their cages.
The show began at 5 P.M. First there was the acrobatic show. It consisted of balancing exercises. A few girls came and walked across a wire with the help of an umbrella. Then some of them climbed to the top of the tent and began to swing. They passed on from one wire to the other just like a shuttle cock. It was most thrilling to see the girls swing at such a dangerous height. What would it be, if some of them fell down!
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No sooner did we think of this than a girl dropped down. Perhaps she could not catch the wire. Down she came. But for the strong net below she would have dropped down dead. These physical feats lasted for about an hour. Then came the horse riders. The horses galloped round the arena. The rider jumped from one horse to the other. The clown who appeared on the scene at this time began to imitate them to the merriment of the spectators.
Then came the most dangerous item. It was now the turn of the lions to entertain the spectators. The lions roared in their cages. The ring-master” stood there with a whip in his hand. The lions obeyed his orders faithfully. It was a matter of great surprise to us to see the lion, the lord of the jungle obey the commands of a man. Very soon we saw a girl riding on the back of the most fierce one. We uttered a cry. We thought that the lion would most certainly tear up the girl and eat her up. Nothing of the kind happened. The girl was safe. The lions were just like goats before the ring-master.
Then came the elephant It saluted the spectators by raising its huge mint. Another interesting item was the Death-Well. A motor-cyclist drove round the inner wall of the well. It was a feat full of great risk. After this the show came to an end. We came out. We were wondering how man had tamed even the most ferocious animals.