er angered him, he never would have
permitted the beast to escape.

He said Tippo was frightened and nervous through his suddenly acquired
freedom. He suffered pain from the jab in his eye, and was made more
restless and fidgety by the excitement and his strange surroundings. The
slight wound received by him renewed his anger; but, when he withdrew from
the immediate vicinity, he undoubtedly made a raid on some farmer's
live-stock, and had devoured a calf, pig, or sheep. He had eaten his fill,
and thereupon became so docile as to be comparatively harmless, provided
he was treated with consideration.

His return to the scene of his most stirring experience was one of those
whims which his species sometimes show. Tired from his flight and filled
to satiety, he had lain down to rest in the woodshed, so satisfied with
his quarters that he offered no objection when Tom Gordon slipped up and
fastened the door. So powerful and active an animal, had he chosen, could
have broken out of the place in a twinkling; but he was content to stay
where he was until fully rested.

"I assure you," added the professor, "you wouldn't have kept him much
longer; when he awoke, hungry and thirsty, he would have placed himself on
the outside before you could say Jack Robinson, and _then_ there would
have been trouble."

The actions of the professor proved his faith in his own words. He coolly
unhooked the door, gently pushed it back, and stepped within the
structure. Tippo Sahib uttered a growl, and Tom and his friends shrank
farther away. The men, however, one of whom carried a coil of rope, held
their places.

Professor De La Cordova displayed admirable coolness and tact. He was not
rough in manner, but acted like one who felt himself master of the
situation. His course, indeed, suggested to Tom that there was much truth
in Jim Travers's declaration about the power of the human eye over the
denizens of the jungle. Standing erect, the man remained motionless for a
full minute, during which he kept his gaze fixed on the tiger, staring
into those orbs as if he would "look him through."

Tippo Sahib was uneasy for a brief while, and then succumbed to that
mysterious hypnotic influence which, in some cases, is equally potent
with persons. He became humble, meek, and, if the term can be allowed,
penitent.

Fully understanding his condition, the professor reached his hand behind
him, without removing his gaze from the beast.

"The rope!" he