The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-11-14
KINGS LOYALTY
Story Of an Elephants Battle With Savage Leopard
To Save the Life of a Girl
By Richard Reynolds, in Youths Companion

that, strangely enough, reminded
me of the ripple glitters of a brook
at MONDAY.
why the death-like silenceg
Why was everyone so still? No
one moved-no one breathed; death :
was among US, and about to strike.
Now the Princess was within
fifteen, twelve. ten, seven yards;
and then suddenly she stopped and
crouched low for the death leap.
Her long tail was nervously twitch-
ing, and all of us could hear her.
eager whine and see her great
muscles gathering in whipcord
knots. Suddenly another sound
came to our ears, but our eyes did
not leave the leopard. The Prin.
cess gaze, for the first time, left
Mays face. The beast gave hur-
ried, startled glance and sprang-
but too late! Into our field of
vision moved a huge light-gray
wall, and it was against that gray
wall that the great cat landed.
AT the same time, calm and
very gentle, but clear and pene-
trating, came Old Jarvis voice to
our ears:
Pick her up. King! Give her
here, boy! Higher! Higher!'
Instantly, and with an almost
human understanding, King swept
his trunk out in semi-circle and,
seizing May by the waist, lifted
her clear of the ground and into
the saddle. Ordinarily that would
have finished the scene and the de-
feated cat would have taken to its
heels or crawIed back into the
wreckage, but when you snatch
victory out of the very claws of a
leopard you have started something.
The instant May was in the
box, King turned to meet the Prin-
cess second spring. With head
slightly lowered, legs planted
firmly, muscles tense, and a low
challenging trumpet he stood
ready.
It was one of the greatest bat
ties that I have ever witnessed be-
tween two jungle beasts. The leo
pard flung herself straight and
true. With crushing impact. she
landed on the broad. flat forehead
just above the elephants trunk.
''Biting, clawing. spitting-fght
ing as only a cat can fight-the
leopard began her part of the
great conflict that would end, if
not in death, at least in the utter
defeat of one or the other.
with deftness made possible
only by his training as a razor
back, King threw his trunk round
the great cat and, with every steel
like muscle straIning to the ut
most. began slowly but surely to
pull her from her point of van
tage. Steadily now, inch by inch, he
was bringing his sharp clawed as
sailant down, when suddenly. with
twist of her smooth, wiry body,
the Princess broke loose and again
unhampered began to crawl toward
her goal.
Like flash that short, sinuous
trunk again encircled her, and now
Old Jarvis took command. Down
with her, King! Pull her down,
down! Hold her, hold her! Down,
take her DOWN.
'Valiantly the old fellow re-
sponded, although every inch that
he pulled the clawing beast must
have brought him agony.
Again the command of Jarvis:
Throw her off, King-off with
her!' Straining. the elephant tried
to obey; but once more the leopard
freed herself and began to crawl
upward. As she clung and clawed,
King caught her in the flank with
his tusk. and an instant later got q
firm hold with his trunk. Then,
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