The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-12-07

heads, surly, watchful, their eyes
cleaning With the rage and hate that
burned in their hearts and that they
dared not vent. Their loose, yellow
hide rolled and rippled over the great
muscles as they moved, and the breath
coming from their hot, half-open
mouth turned to steam as 1t struck
the air.
A huge, blue painted see-saw was
dragged out to the centre, and the
tanner made a sharp sound of COM
mand Slowly, and with switching
tails, two Of them obeyed, and clam
bering upon the balancing board,
swung up and down, while the music
played a see-saw waltz.
And all the while their great eyes
famed with the detestation of the
thing and their black upper lips curl
ed away from their long fangs in pro-
test Of this hourly renewed humilia-
lion and degradation.
And one of the others, while waiting
ais turn to be whipped and bullied, sat
up on his launches and faced us and
looked far away beyond us over the
heads of the audience-over the con-
tinent and ocean, as it were-as though
he saw something in that quarter that
made him forget his present surround
ings.
You grand old brute" muttered
Toppan, and then he said: do you
know what you would see If you were
to look into his eyes now? You would
see Africa, and unnamed mountains,
and great stony stretches of desert,
with hot blue shadows and plains of
salt, and lairs in the jungle grass, and
urking places near the paths the stein
box make when they go down to wa
ter. But now he is hampered and
caged-is there anything worse than a
Gagged lion?-and kept from the life he
loves and was made for"-just here the
trainer spoke sharply to him, and his
eyes and crest dropped-"and ruled
over" concluded Toppan, "by some one
who is not so great as he, who has
spoiled what was best in him, and has
turned his powers to trivial, resultless
uses-some one weaker than he, yet
5tronger. All, well, old brute, it was
yours, once, we will remember that"
They wheeled out clumsy veloci-
pede built expressly for him, and while
the lash whistled and snapped about
him, the conquered king heaved him
self upon it and went around and
around the ring, while the band play
cd a quickstep, the audience broke into
applause, and the tanner smirked and
bobbed his well oiled head. l thought
Of Samson performing for the Philis-
tines and Thusnelda at the triumph
Of Germanicus. The grand beasts,
grand though conquered seemed to be
the only dignified ones in the whole
business. l hated the audience who
saw their shame from behind iron
bars; l hated myself for being one Of
them, and l hated the SNUG, snigger-
ing tanner.
The latter had been drawing out
various stools and ladders, and now ar
ranged the lions upon them so they
should form pyramid, with himself
on top.
Then he swung himself up among
them, with his heels upon their necks
and taking hold Of the jaws of one,
wrenched them apart with a great
show Of strength, turning his head to
the audience so that all should see.
And just then the electric light
above him cracked harshly, guttered,
dropped down to pencil of dull red,
then went out, and the place was alb
solutely dark.
The band stopped abruptly with a
discord, and there was an instant Of
silence. Then we heard the stools and
ladders Gathering as the lions leap
ed down; and straightway four pairs
Of lambent green spots burned out Of
the darkness and travelled swiftly
about here and there, crossing and re-
hn lerb &c ~
steamships in storm. Heretofore the
lions had been sluggish and inert; now
they were aroused and alert in an in
slant, and we could hear the swift pad
pad Of their heavy feet as they swung
around the arena, and the sound Of
their great bodies rubbing against the
bars of the cage as one and the other
passed nearer to us.
/ don't think the audience at all ap-
preciated the situation at first, for no
one moved or seemed excited, and one
shrill voice suggested that the band
should play When the electric lights
go out"
Keep perfectly quiet, please called
the tanner out of the darkness, and a
certain peculiar ring In his voice was
the first intimation of a possible dan
ger.
But Toppan knew, and as we heard
the tanner fumbling for the latch of
the gate, which he somehow could not
loose In the darkness, he said, with a
rising voice: HE wants to get that
gate open pretty quick"
But for their restless movements the
lions were quiet; they uttered no
sound, which was bad sign. Blink
ing and dazed by the garish blue
whiteness Of few moments before
they could see perfectly now where the
tanner was blind.
Listen" said Toppan. Near to US
and on the inside of the cage, we could
hear sound as of SONG slender body
being whisked back and forth over
the surface of the floor. In an instant
/ guessed what 1t was; one of the lions
was crouched there, whipping his sides
with his tail.
When he stops that he'll spring.
said Toppan, excitedly.
Bring light, Jerry--quickw came
the tanners voice.