CHAPTER XXIII
THE LION HUNT
For a moment there was silence. Then the people began shouting.
"Bring lights, men!" thundered the owner of the show.
Being so near the outer edges of the tent, the people had escapedalmost without injury. Many had been bruised as the canvas sweptover them, knocking them flat and some falling all the waythrough between the seats to the ground, where they were inlittle danger.
"Wait till the lights come! Phil! Phil!"
Phil Forrest did not answer. He had been knocked clear intothe center of the arena by a falling quarter pole, and stunned.The Circus Boy's head was pretty hard, however, and no morethan a minute had passed before he was at work digging his wayout of the wreck.
"Phillip!"
"Here!"
"Thank heaven," muttered the showman. "I was afraid he hadbeen killed. Are you all right?" Mr. Sparling made his wayin Phil's direction.
"Yes. How--how many were killed?"
"I hope none," replied Mr. Sparling. "As soon as the lights areon and all this stuff hauled out of the way we shall know."
Most of the canvas had been blown from the circus arena properso that little was left there save the seats, a portion of thebandstand, the wrecks of the ruined poles and circus properties,together with some of the side walls, which still were standing.
By this time the tornado, for such it had developed into, hadpassed entirely and the moon came out, shining down into thedarkened circus arena, lighting it up brightly.
About that time torches were brought. The people had rushed downfrom the seats as soon as the big top had blown away.
"I want all who have been injured to wait until I can see them,"shouted Mr. Sparling. "Many of you owe your lives to thisyoung man. Had you started when the blow came many of you wouldhave been killed. Has anyone been seriously hurt?"
A chorus of "no's" echoed from all sides.
The showman breathed a sigh of relief. A bare half dozen had tobe helped down from the seats, where they had been struck byflying debris, but beyond that no one obeyed Mr. Sparling'srequest to remain.
The men had run quickly along under the seats to see if by anychance injured persons had fallen through. They helped a few outand these walked hurriedly away, bent on getting off the circuslot as quickly as possible after their exciting experiences.
"No one killed, Phil."
"I'm glad of that. I'm going to look for Wallace. Better getyour men out right away, or he'll be too far away for us ever tocatch him again. Have the menagerie men gone to look for him?"
"I don't know, Phil. You will remember that I have been ratherbusily engaged for the past ten or fifteen minutes."
"We all have. Well, I'm going to take a run and see if I can gettrack of the lion."
"Be careful. Better get your clothes on the first thing you do."
"Guess he hasn't any. His trunk and mine have gone awaysomewhere," nodded Teddy.
"Never mind the clothes. I'm on a lion hunt now," laughed Phil,starting from the enclosure on a run.
"Nothing can stop that boy," muttered Mr. Sparling. The ownerwas all activity now, giving his orders at rapid-fire rate.First, the men were ordered to gather the canvas and stretch itout on the lot so an inventory might be taken to determine inwhat shape the show had been left. Others were assigned tosearch the lot for show properties, costumes and the like, and ina very short time the big, machine-like organization was workingmethodically and without excitement.
It must not be thought that nothing was being done towardcatching the escaped lion. Fully fifty men had started inpursuit immediately after the escape. They had been detained fora few minutes by the blow down, after which every man belongingto the menagerie tent, who could be spared, joined in the chase.
The lion cage, one of the few left remaining on the lot, had beenblown over as it was being taken away. The shock had burst openthe rear door and Wallace was quick to take advantage of theopportunity to regain his freedom. An iron-barred partitionseparated him from his mate. Fortunately this partition hadheld, leaving the lioness still confined in the cage.
The attendants quickly righted the cage, making fast the doorso that there might be no repetition of the disaster.
Seeing Phil hurrying away Teddy took to his heels also, andwithin a short distance caught up with his companion.
"You going to look for that lion, Phil?"
"Yes."
"So am I."
"You had better stay here, Teddy. You might get hurt."
"What about yourself?"
"Oh, I'm not afraid," laughed Phil.
"Don't you call me a coward, Phil Forrest. I've got as much sandas you have any time."
"Why, I didn't call you a coward. I--"
"Yes, you did; yes, you did!"
"Don't let's quarrel. Remember we are on a lion hunt just now.Hey, Bob." hailed Phil, discovering one of themenagerie attendants.
"Hello."
"Which way did he go?"
"We don't know. When the blow down came we lost all trackof Wallace. He's probably headed for the open country."
"Where are the searchers?"
"All over. A party went west, another north and the third tothe east."
"What about the village--did no one go that way to hunt for him?"
"No; he wouldn't go to town."
"Think not?"
"Sure of it."
"Why not?"
"He'd want to get away from the people as quick as he could.You don't catch Wallace going into any town or any other placewhere there's people."
"I noticed that he came in under the big top where there wereabout three thousand of them," replied Phil dryly.
"He was scared; that's what made him do that."
"And that very emotion may have sent him into the town.I'm going over there to start something on my own hook.Are you going along Teddy?"
"You bet I am. I always did like to hunt lions."
"When you are sure you are going away from the lion, instead ofin his direction," suggested Phil, laughingly. "What's that youhave in your hand?"
"It's an iron tent stake I picked up on the lot. I'll fetch hima wallop that'll make him see stars if I catch close enough sightof him."
"I don't think you will get quite that close to Wallace."
"I'll show you."
By this time the word had spread all over town that thewhole menagerie of the Sparling Combined Shows had escaped.The streets were cleared in short order. Here and there,from an upper window, might be seen the whites of thefrightened eyes of a Negro peering down, hoping to catchsight of the wild beasts, and fearful lest he should. "If itwas an elephant we might trail him," suggested Teddy.
"That's not a half bad idea. The dust is quite thick. I wishwe had thought to bring a torch with us."
"I'll tell you where we can get one."
"Where?"
"One of the markers set up to guide the wagon drivers to therailroad yards. There's a couple on the next street above here.I saw them just a minute ago."
"Teddy you are a genius. And to think I have known you allthis time and never found it out before. Come on, we'll getthe torches."
They started on a run across an open lot, then turning into thestreet above, saw the torches flaring by the roadside half ablock away. Jerking the lights up the lads ran back to thestreet they had previously left.
"Where shall we look?"
"We might as well begin right here, Teddy. I can't helpbelieving that Wallace is somewhere in the town. I don'tbelieve, for a minute, that he would run off into the country.If he has he'll be back in a very short time. You remember whatI tell you. If we can get track of him we'll follow and sendword back to the lot so they can come and get him."
"Why not catch him ourselves?"
"I don't think we two boys had better try that. I am afraid itwould prove too much for us."
"I've got a tent stake. I'm not afraid. Why didn
't you bringa club?"
"I have the ringmaster's whip. I prefer that to a club when itcomes to meeting a wild lion. Hello, up there!" called Phil,discovering two men looking out of a window above him.
"Hello yourself. You fellows belong to the circus?"
"Yes. Have you seen anything of a lion around this part ofthe town?"
"A tall fellow about my size, with blue eyes and blonde hair,"added Teddy.
"Stop your fooling, Teddy."
"A lion?"
"Yes."
"Only one?"
"That's all," replied Phil a bit impatiently. "Have youseen him?"
"Why, we heard the whole menagerie had escaped."
"That is a mistake. Only one animal got away--the lion."
"No; we haven't seen him, but we heard him a little while ago."
"Where, where?" questioned the boy eagerly.
"Heard him roar, and it sounded as if he was off inthat direction."
"O, thank you, thank you," answered Phil.
"Say, are you in the show did you say?" now catching sight ofPhil's tights under the bright moonlight.
"Yes."
"What do you do?"
"I am in the big trapeze act, the flying rings and a few otherlittle things."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Well, you'll have to excuse us. We must be going."
"You boys are not going out after that lion alone, are you?"
"Yes, of course."
"Great Caesar! What do you think of that? Wait a minute; we'llget our guns and join you."
"Please, I would rather you would not. We don't want to kill thelion, you see."
"Don't want to kill him?" questioned the man in amazement.
"Certainly not. We want to capture him. If the town's peoplewill simply stay in their homes, and not bother us, we shall gethim before morning and no one will be the worse for his escape.Wallace is worth a few thousand dollars, I suppose you are aware.Come along, Teddy."
Leaving the two men to utter exclamations of amazement, the ladsstarted off in the direction indicated by the others.
"What did I tell you, Teddy? That lion is in the town at thisvery minute. He's probably eating up someone's fresh meat bythis time. Hold your torch down and keep watch of the street.You keep that side and I'll watch this. We will each take halfof the road."
The Circus Boys had been around the animals of the menageriefor nearly three years now, it will be remembered, and they hadwholly lost that fear that most people outside the circus feelfor the savage beasts of the jungle. They thought little moreof this lion hunt, so far as the danger was concerned, than ifthey had been chasing a runaway circus horse or tame elephant.
All at once Teddy Tucker uttered an exclamation.
"What is it?"
"I've landed the gentleman."
"You sure?"
"Yes; here are his tracks."
"That's so; you have. Don't lose them now. We'll run himdown yet. Won't Mr. Sparling be pleased?"
"I reckon he will. But we have got to catch the cat first beforewe can please anybody. I wonder how we're going to do it?"
"We shall see about that later."
The boys started on a trot, holding their torches close tothe ground. Their course took them about on another streetleading at right angles to the one they had been following.
All at once they seemed to have lost the trail. Before themstood a handsome house, set well back in a green lawn. The housewas lighted up, and evidently some kind of an entertainment wasgoing on within.
"He's gone over in some of these yards," breathed Phil."Let's take the place that's lighted up, first. He'd bemore likely to go where there is life. He--"
Phil's words were cut short by a shriek of terror from thelighted house followed by another and another.
"He's there! Come on!"
Both boys vaulted the fence and ran to the front door. By thistime shriek upon shriek rent the air. The lads burst into thehouse without an instant's hesitation.
"Upstairs!" cried Phil, bounding up three steps at a time.
A woman, pale and wide-eyed, had pointed that way when she sawthe two boys in their circus tights and realized what they hadcome there for.
In a large room a dozen people, pale and frightened werestanding, one man with hand on the door ready to slam it shut atfirst sign of the intruder.
"Where--where is he?" demanded Phil breathlessly.
"We were playing cards, and when somebody looked up he saw thatbeast standing in the door here looking in. He--he went down inthe back yard. Maybe you will be able to see him if you go inthe room across the hall there. There's a yard fenced off therefor the dogs to run in."
Phil bounded across the hall followed by two of the men.
"Does that stairway lead down into the back yard?"questioned Phil.
"Yes, yes."
"Was the door open?"
"Yes, yes."
"Is it open now?"
"Yes. We can feel the draft."
"Show me into the room and I'll take a look."
One of the men, who evidently lived in the house, steppedgingerly across the hall, turned the knob and pushed the doorin ever so little. Phil and Teddy, with torches still in hand,crowded in.
As they did so their guide uttering a frightened yell, slammedthe door shut, and Phil heard a bolt shoot in place.
The boys found themselves in a large room running the full depthof the house. It had been rigged up, as a gymnasium, with thefamiliar flying rings, parallel bars and other useful equipment.
All this they saw instinctively. But what they saw beyond allthis caused the Circus Boys to pause almost spellbound.
"He's in there! He's in there!" shouted half a dozen voices atthe same moment. Then the lads heard the people rush down thestairs and out into the street shouting and screaming for help.
Crouching in the far corner of the room, lashing its tail, itsevil eyes fixed upon them, was the lion Wallace.
"Wow!" breathed Teddy.
Phil with eyes fixed upon the lion reached back one hand andtried the door behind him. It was locked.
"Teddy, don't make any sudden moves," cautioned Phil in alow voice. "We're locked in. Give me your torch. Now edgeover to that open window and drop out. We can't both try it,or Wallace will be upon us in a flash. When you get out, runfor the lot. Run as you never ran before. Get the men here.Have them rush Wallace's cage here. Be careful until youget out. Those people have locked us in. I shouldn't dare openthe door anyway, now, for he'd catch us before we could get out.I know the ways of these tricky cats."
"Phil, he'll kill you!"
"He won't. I've got the torches. They're the best weapons a mancould have--they and the whip."
Teddy edged toward the window while Phil with a stern commandto the lion to "charge!" at the same time cracking the whip andthrusting the torches toward the beast, checked the rush thatWallace seemed about to make.
Teddy dropped from the window a moment later. Then began anexperience for Phil Forrest that few boys would have had thecourage to face.
Not for an instant did the Circus Boy lose his presence of mind.He took good care not to crowd Wallace, giving him plenty ofroom, constantly talking to him as he had frequently heard theanimal's keeper do, and keeping the beast's mind occupied asmuch as he could.
Now and then Wallace would attempt to creep up on Phil, whereuponthe lad would start forward thrusting the torches before him andcrack the whip again. Wallace was afraid of fire, and under themenacing thrusts of the torches would back cowering intohis corner.
For a full half hour did Phil Forrest face this deadly peril,cool, collected, his mind ever on the alert, standing there inhis pink tights, almost a heroic figure as he poised in the lightof the flaring torches, the smoke of which got into his lungs andmade him cough. He did all he could to suppress this, for itdisturbed and irritated Wallace, who showed his disapproval byswishing his tail and uttering low, deep growls
of resentment.
Phil backed away a little so as to get nearer the window thathe might find more fresh air. Wallace followed. Phil sprangat him.
"Charge!" he commanded making several violent thrusts with thetorches, at which Wallace backed away again and crouched lower.Phil saw that the lion was preparing to jump over his head; and,discovering this, the lad held one torch high above his head andkept it swaying there from side to side.
Suddenly he made another discovery.
The light seemed to be growing dim. A quick glance at the flamesof the torches told him what the trouble was.
He dared not let his eyes dwell on the flame for more than abrief instant for the glare would so blind him that he would notbe able to clearly make out the lion. To lose sight of Wallacefor a few seconds might mean a sudden and quick end to PhilForrest, and he knew it full well.
The lad backed a bit closer to the window, keeping his torchesmoving rapidly to hide his movements.
Wallace, watching the torches did not observe the action.
"The torches are going out," breathed Phil. "If the folks don'tcome soon I've got to jump through window glass and all orWallace will spring."
Phil was in a desperate situation.
CHAPTER XXIV
CONCLUSION
"Down, Wallace! Charge!"
The Circus Boy's whip cracked viciously, while the dyingtorches formed thin circles of fire as they were swung abovethe lad's head.
"I shan't be able to hold him off much longer. Wallace knows,as well as I do, that his turn is coming in a short time. If Ihappen to be within reach then, something surely is goingto happen. Hark! What's that?"
Distant shouts were borne faintly to Phil's ears. He listenedintently, catching another and welcome sound. The latter was therumble of a heavy wagon, being driven rapidly along the pavedstreet of the town.
"It's a circus wagon," breathed the lad, recognizing thesound instantly. "I hope it is the wagon."
He listened intently, keeping the torches moving, nowand then cracking his whip and uttering sharp commandsto Wallace.
The animal was growing more and more restless. His wildinstincts were returning to him.
The torches were so low, now, that Phil could scarcely seethe beast. Then, all at once, he realized that Wallace wascreeping toward him unmindful of the lash or of thefading torches.
Phil waited, peering into the shadows. He was not afraid, as herecalled his sensations afterwards; but a strange little thrillseemed to be racing up and down his spinal column.
Then the lad did a daring thing. He sprang forward tomeet Wallace. The astonished lion halted for a brief instant,and in that instant the Circus Boy thrust one of the torchesfull in his face. The flame burned the nose of the king ofbeasts and singed his brow as well.
Uttering a mighty roar Wallace cleared the floor, springingbackwards and landing against the wall with such force as tojar several panes of glass from the window nearby.
"Phil! Phil! Are you there?" came a hesitating voice frombehind the lad. It was the voice of Teddy Tucker on a ladderat one side of the window from which he had jumped earlier inthe evening.
"Yes, yes. Be careful. Did you bring them?"
"We've got the cage. Mr. Sparling is here, too. He's halfworried to death. What shall we do?"
"Have them draw the cage up in the back yard and back it againstthe open door. When that's done some of you come upstairs andthrow the door open. Be sure to leave a light in the hall, butjump into the room across the hall as soon as you open the door.Wallace will scent his mate and I'll wager he'll trot rightdownstairs and jump into his cage. Have someone standing by toclose the doors on him. Hurry now. Tell them my torches won'tlast five minutes longer."
Teddy slid down the ladder without waiting to place feet or handon the rungs, and Phil's anxious ears told him the men weredrawing the cage around to the rear yard.
Soon he heard footsteps on the back stairs. Wallace was showingnew signs of agitation.
"All ready, in there?"
"All ready," answered Phil.
Teddy jerked the door open and leaping across the hall, shuthimself in the room opposite. Wallace paused, his tail beatingthe wall behind him; then uttering a roar that shook thebuilding, the shaggy beast leaped into the hall. There he pausedfor an instant. One bound took him to the foot of the stairs.The next landed him in the cage next to his mate. The cagedoors closed behind him with a metallic snap.
Wallace was safe.
"Got him!" shouted a voice from below.
Phil drew a long sigh of relief. Someone dashed up the stairson a run. It was Mr. Sparling. He grabbed Phil Forrest in hisarms, hugging him until the dead torches fell to the floor witha clatter and the lad begged to be released.
"My brave Phil, my brave boy!" breathed the showman. "No one butyou could have done a thing like that. You have saved the livesof many people this night, and what is more you have captured themost valuable lion in the world--you and Teddy. I don't knowwhat to say nor how to say it. I--"
"I wouldn't try were I in your place," grinned Phil. "I presumeyou will have to settle with these people for the slight damagethat has been done to their house."
"I'll settle the bills; don't you worry about that."
"Any more lions lying around loose in here?" questioned Teddy,poking his head in through the open door. "I and my little clubare ready for them if there are."
"Shall we be going, Mr. Sparling?"
"Yes."
Together the three made their way down the stairs just as thecage was being driven from the yard. As soon as he could findthe owner of the house the showman paid him for the damages.
"What shape is the big top in?" asked Phil as they walked slowlyback toward the lot.
"Bad, very bad. I might say that it comes pretty near being ahopeless wreck. Still it may be patched up."
"I am sure of it. I know a blown-down tent is not half ashopeless as it looks. I saw the Robinson shows with a blown-downtent once."
"I have been thinking the matter over, Phil."
"Yes."
"We have only a few days more to go before the close of theseason, and it seems to me that the best plan would be to closeright here and go in. What do you think?"
"I think," answered Phil Forrest slowly, "that I should turnall hands loose and fix that tent up so the show will be ableto make the next stand and give a performance by tomorrow nightat latest. It can be done. If the tent is too badly torn toset up a six pole show, make it a four pole show, or use themenagerie tent for the circus performance. I should never haveit said that the Sparling Combined Shows were put out ofbusiness by a gale of wind."
Mr. Sparling halted.
"Phil, there is an old saying to the effect that you can't'teach an old dog new tricks.' It's not true. You have taughtme a new trick. The Sparling shows shall go on to the close ofthe season. We'll make the next town, somehow, and we'll givethem a show the like of which they never before have seen."
"If they had been here tonight they would have seen one such asthey never saw before," grinned Teddy.
"Yes."
"A sort of Wild South instead of Wild West show," added theirrepressible Teddy.
All that night the showmen worked, Phil not even taking the timeto discard his gaudy ring clothes. The next morning both he andTeddy were sights to behold, but the show had been loaded, andthe big top straightened out and put in shape so that it could bepitched when the next town was reached. At last the boys decidedto hunt up their trunks. They found them, after a long search.Getting behind a pole wagon they put on their clothes. An hourlater they were on their way to the next stand, tired but proudof their achievements and happy.
The news of the accident to the show, as well as the capture ofthe big lion, Wallace, by the Circus Boys, had preceded them tothe next town. Once more Phil Forrest and Teddy Tucker werehailed as heroes, which they really had proved themselves to be.
A very
fair performance, considering their crippled condition,was given that afternoon. By the next day the show was on itsfeet again, and from then on to the close of the season, no otherexciting incidents occurred.
Two weeks later the big top came down for the last timethat year. On the afternoon of that happy day, the associatesof the Circus Boys gave a banquet for the two lads under thecook tent, at which Teddy Tucker distinguished himself by makinga speech that set the whole tent in an uproar of merriment.
Good-byes were said, and the circus folks departed that night bagand baggage to scatter to the four quarters of the globe, somenever to return to the Sparling shows. Phil and Teddy returnedto Edmeston to finish their course at the high school, from whichthey were to graduate in the following spring.
How the lads joined out with the circus the next season will betold in a succeeding volume entitled, "THE CIRCUS BOYS ON THEMISSISSIPPI; Or, Afloat with the Big Show on the Big River."This was destined to be one of the most interesting journeysof their circus careers--one filled with new and excitingexperiences and thrilling adventures.
Until then we will leave them to continue their studies in thelittle village of Edmeston.
The Circus Boys in Dixie Land; Or, Winning the Plaudits of the Sunny South Page 25