Among the passengers disembarking at the Customs Jetty on Thursday afternoon was Nero, a traveller from Japan per the P. & O. S. Dongola. After the usual Customs formalities—one never can. be sure in these days who carries opium—Nero, in the presence of an astonished crowd, was transferred by coolies to & waiting motor lorry and conveyed in his 10 by 10 cage to the godown of the Commercial Express & Storage Ca., Kungping Road. Alt 5 o'clock ha was given a modest meal consisting of 10 lb. of roast beef, a morsel consumed in a few seconds, and he will be similarly regaled at 9 a.m. to-day.
Nero is a lion. He brings with him ar interesting tale. He is a prominent member of Cartor's circus, and Carter's Circus, like Barr's of flying fame, seems to have got into a tangle with the Japanese. An action is pending at Kobe for alleged breach of contract, and the proprietor of the circus and his gear are detained there for the time being. Miss Maxwell, a member of the company, contrived to get Nero on board the Dongola and has brought him to Shanghai where, legal amenities having been satisfied, he duly. perform when the remainder of the show happens along. Miss Maxwell is evidently of the opinion that a lion in Shanghai is worth two in Kobe.
Those who are interested in natural history and boarding house tantis might care to know that Nero's bill for a month's board and lodging in the Kungping Road godown comes to $100.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.