." He was off his mustang instantly and running toward Tad.
"Keep him busy, keep him busy, boy. I'll fix him for you in a minute."

"I don't want you to kill him."

"I'm not going to. We've got to stretch him."

Tad did not know what stretching meant in this particular instance, but
he was soon to learn. Nance got off to one side of the busy scene, then
directed Tad to ease up a bit. The boy did so. He saw that Dad, too,
was planning to use his lariat, though the boy had no idea in what way.
The cat instantly sat down and began tearing at its bonds. All at once
Nance's rope shot through the air. It caught the lion fairly around
the neck.

For a few moments the air was full of streaks of yellow. The cat was
now fast at both ends. The neck hold was the worse of the two, for it
choked the beast and soon tired him out.

"Now stretch him," directed the guide.

"How do you mean?"

"Take a single hitch about the tree with your rope, so that we can
straighten him out."

This Tad did, while Nance performed a similar service on his own line,
being careful not to choke the lion to death. During this latter part
of the proceeding the party that had up to that time held off, now
approached.

"Will he bite?" asked Walter.

"Stick your finger in his mouth and see?" jeered Chunky. "He can
scratch, too. But we got him, didn't we? We're the original lion
tamers from the wild and woolly West."

"Come, who is going to tie those claws together, Stacy?" demanded the
guide.

"Do what?"

"Tie the cat's feet together."

"Let the Professor do it. He hasn't done anything yet on this trip.
Besides, I've got to stand here ready to shoot if the lion gets away.
If it weren't for that I'd tie his feet."

"Here, you tie his feet, then. I'll handle the gun," volunteered Ned,
stepping forward.

Chunky drew back.

"If some one will hold my end of the line I'll attend to that little
matter," said Tad.

"I guess it's time I did something around here," interjected Ned.
"What do you want me to do, Mr. Nance?"

"Take your rope, watch your opportunity and rope the forward legs.
After that is done have somebody hold the rope while you tie the feet
securely together."

Ned roped the feet without further question, then handing the line to
Walter Perkins, he calmly tied together the feet of the snarling,
spitting beast. The same was done with the hind feet, though the
latter proved to be much more dangerous than the for