tern, placed at some height above the ground, threw its rays full
upon this man, and the strong light, opposed to the deep shadows around
it, gave effect to the sharp proportions of his bony and savage looking
figure.

He approached the cage slowly. The white rim, which encircled his
eyeball, appeared to dilate, and his look rivaled in motionless
brilliancy the steadily sparkling gaze of the panther. Still crouching
in the shade, she felt already the fascination of that glance; two
or three times she dropped her eyelids, with a low, angry howl; then,
reopening her eyes, as if in spite of herself, she kept them fastened
immovably on those of the Prophet. And now her rounded ears clung to
her skull, which was flattened like a viper's; the skin of her forehead
became convulsively wrinkled; she drew in her bristling, but silky
muzzle, and twice silently opened her jaws, garnished with formidable
fangs. From that moment a kind of magnetic connection seemed to be
established between the man and the beast.

The Prophet extended his glowing bar towards the cage, and said, in a
sharp, imperious tone: "Death! come here."

The panther rose, but so dragged herself along that her belly and the
bend of her legs touched the ground. She was three feet high, and nearly
five in length; her elastic and fleshy spine, the sinews of her thighs
as well developed as those of a race-horse, her deep chest, her enormous
jutting shoulders, the nerve and muscle in her short, thick paws--all
announced that this terrible animal united vigor with suppleness, and
strength with agility.

Morok, with his iron wand still extended in the direction of the cage,
made a step towards the panther. The panther made a stride towards the
Prophet. Morok stopped; Death stopped also.

At this moment the tiger, Judas, to whom Morok's back was turned,
bounded violently in his cage, as if jealous of the attention, which his
master paid to the panther. He growled hoarsely, and, raising his head,
showed the under-part of his redoubtable triangular jaw, and his broad
chest of a dirty white, with which blended the copper color, streaked
with black, of his sides; his tail, like a huge red serpent, with rings
of ebony, now clung to his flanks, now lashed them with a slow and
continuous movement: his eyes, of a transparent, brilliant green, were
fixed upon the Prophet.

Such was the influence of this man over his animals, that Judas almost
immediately ceased growling, a