South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-08
In the Crocodile's Jaws
By Robert Carleton Grown

( chafed under the yoke Of inaciQu.
Seizng an extra helmet from the
wagon nearby ne dashed into the
building fearlessly though there
was no telling whether ne might ex-
peCt the spring Of "A crazed Numi-
dian lion, the concentrating en-
brace OF "a frantic bear. or the strike
Of a furious hooded snake. No one
stayed his progress. il had all hap
pened so quickly that not even a
police line had been formed
once within. Poe engaged amid
the clearing smoke and sitting
steam in a hand 10 hand conflict
with several Mona monkeys. Sooty
Manga beys and Patas. which. in the
excitement had evidently broken
where they had been Gagged together.
being peaceful mates. They sour
ried and screamed about the great
roomful of cages. avoiding pursuit
with dextrous lodging.
When some order had been II
naIy restored and the fremen were
leaving. Poe Joined the three fright
ened animal keepers who We're
counting the recaptured monkeys.
lemurs and marW
Thank Cod" cried one. In Ger
man. None Of the larger beasts
had got loose. If 8abo, the ape. or
that tiger over there had got out,
Mein Colt, What a scene. What
scene there would have been
one Of the keepers dashed of at
that moment toward the crocodile
pond. enclosed by a low wire fence
The crocOdiles were still in com
motion. doubtless due to the heat
ing of the water i'm their pond and
the cement which cropped out dry
near the railing. where they some
times lay. half out of water
A cry came from him as he stop
ped before a single cage. the door
flung open swinging useless.
"BabO." ne screamed. "Babo did
escape. Where is hep
The appalled, keepers were dumb
founded. one rushed 10 the front
door 10 see if ne mad gone that way;
another ran 20 the rear, and the
third suddenly chased of toward a
gallery at the side, where huge
Hamadryas baboon, who had so far
escaped notice. chung 10 a wall sup
port. uttering explosive, ear-crack-
ing cries The beasts had by no
means become quiet. a huge Loop
ard was Cringing about his cage
with twitching whiskers snarling
and splitting; "a great cage of Asiatic
owls had bristled and bulged 20
thrice their size in anger and We're
hooting horribly 4 sweat-d dropping
rhiuoceros belched forth an occa-
sional roar that made the building
tremble; and two huge crocodiles in
the tank were lashing their tails
and beating about i'm "a frenzy.
Christopher Poe. aroused by the
strange actions of these reptiles.
stepped TO the wired enclosure: one
of the huge pairs Of jaws snapped
at him as he approached and the
wicked little eyes, set bulginglv at
the sides Of the head, cleaned
cruelty. Warned back. Poe stood
at a slight distance. looking on at
the fierce foment within the pond
There were three beasts. one lying
close TO the railing. utterly silent.
with the usual malicious, hypocriti-
cal smile Of that reptile when its
jaws and eyes are shut i'm sleep.
Strange that it could sleep through
AN the CommOtiOn Poe suddenly
started Though the head of the
animal just above one closed eye
was a neat round hole. as though
made by a bullet of high calibre.
as the American looked close he
found that the hole was full of
slow. sluggish blood, cIotted at the
top. a little of the thinner fluid
dripping down the nose of the rep
tile and along the scallOps of his
Jaws TANNED together as they
were in that Characteristic grim
grin
AT that moment the keeper who
had rushed 20 the rear came back
with big. frightened eyes and held
out a thick steel window bar. point
ed at one end where it had ftted
through a hole i'm the iron-rein-
forced masonry. That end Of the
rod was coated with thick blood for
six inches upward from the point
"Babo jumped into the water
from the little back window. rip
ping ont these bars" he cried in
German. Look II is blood. He
has used IL to kill or has hurt him
self with it,
Poe answered smoothly in the
same tongue, as though it were his
language
But an ape does not swim if he
can help il. Ach Colt, I do not
know what 10 make OF IL all"
How did the FIRE start?" asked
| Poe
That ! do not know either"