The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-09-01

round as il Waiting, the low mutterings
OF the beast becoming more plainly audi
bic every moment, and her yellow, feline
eyes swapping with hidden fires.
With an amazingexhibition ofstrength,
he wrestled with, tripped and threw her
from him, and the canvas tent rang
again. But instantly she was upon her
feet, lashing her sides with her prehensile
tail, drawing back her lips so as to show
her teeth, and uttering the deepest and
fiercest of growls.
" For the love Of mercy, hand out your
child, Joe," said his attendant.
Wait a moment. | shall be done very
quickly"
The browning feat was yet to come. 1t
was one upon which he had bestowed
much time, and upon which he prided
himself-was a tableau of wild beasts,
with manhood and childish beauty for
the central attraction. -.
He stepped to the corner, led the mon
ster lion forth into the center of the cage,
made him lie down, placed the little girl
upon him, and stood astride. Then
shrill whistle brought the cheetah Loop
ards bounding upon his shoulders and
standing up with paws crossed above his
head, and the black tiger erect upon his
left, and throttled with his hand But
the lioness failed to do his bidding and
take her place upon his right. She lay
in the act of springing, and at but lit
tie distance.
"Comep
There was no movement, and the whip
was raised and fell heavily upon her
head. That was all that was needed to
awaken her latent ire, and, with roar
like that given in her native forest, she
sprang with almost resistless force to-
wards him. A sharp, singing blow on
the bridge of the nose for a moment
cowed her, and she might have been CON
quered, had she not partially fell upon
and upset the pail and deluged the floor
of the cage in blood!
Then all became the widest COM
motion-the most terrible and savage
sounds. Every beastsprang down, Tapped
the blood, and then turned upon him.
Even the veteran lion appeared to forget
the long years of training, and some
thing of his young forest life blazed
forth.
Amberly comprehended all in an in
slant, and the father triumphed over the
actor. He snatched UP the now terrified
and screaming child, sprang with her to
the door, thrust her into the hands of
the watchful attendant, and would have
followed, had not the lioness grappled
and drawn him back, rending his
shoulders with her sharp claws, and
causing the blood Upstream over his rich
dress.
He was fighting against most desper-
ate odds, knew it, backed into a corner,
and called for his irons. One red hot at
the end, was handed to him, but at the
| first stoke the lioness sent it whirling,
and her sharp teeth almost met for mo-
ment in his thigh.
Hand me something sharpwith which
| can brain the bruteW
| Every thing upon which hands could
be laid was thrust to him, but he failed
to reach them, and the danger was be-
coming more and more imminent. The
blood had been Tapped up clean-all
were mad with desire, the tiger and the
leopard crouching upon him. Then the
majesty of command asserted itself.
"Come, Samson
The old lion came forward at the
words, seemed to comprehend that some
thing was wrong, thrust himself between
his master and his raging mate, and, when
she turned upon him, sent her rolling
with blow of his great paw.
The Lion Tanner might have escaped
but, bleeding, wounded as he was, he
would not retreat, and turned his atten-
ton to separating the now tangled mass
of fighting animals. Picking up one
leopard after another, he drew them into
a farther corner of the cage, dragging
the tiger, with the lioness clinging to it
and tearing its glossy hide, thither, tore
open its jaws by main strength, hurled
it back, and shut the partition; turned,
reeled to the door, fell upon it, and was
dragged through to safety even with the
lioness rafting behind him as it was
closing
A few steps taken, and the Lion
Tanner fell fainting by the side of his al
ready insensible wife, who lay with her
affrighted child Rugged closely to her
scarcely-beating heart.
Then the silence that had been as
death was broken by the most tumultuous
shouts, and breath was drawn again, and
half-fainting women and fear-palsied
men felt as if mountain had been lifted
from their hearts.
Lame, torn, and weak, the Lion Tanner
entered the cage next day before the
most unprecedented crowd, it having
been advertised that he would do so in
his bloody clothes, but never again could
he be tempted to take child or pail OF
blood behind the bars.