re at their gayest, with children's voices
clamoring everywhere like starlings, and Bong, the little elephant,
swinging good-naturedly up the broad white track with all the load he
had room for on his back, there came an ominous jar and rumble, like
the first of an earthquake, which ran along the front of Last Bull's
range.

With sure instinct, Bong turned tail and fled with his young charges
away across the grassland. The crowds, hardly knowing what they fled
from, with screams and cries and blanched faces, followed the
elephant's example. A moment later and, with a muffled crash, all
along the front of the range, the earth sank into the tunnel, carrying
with it half a dozen panels of Last Bull's hated fence.

Almost in a moment the panic of the crowd subsided. Every one realized
just what had happened. Moreover, thanks to Bong's timely alarm, every
one had got out of the way in good season. All fear of earthquake
being removed, the crowd flocked back eagerly to stare down into the
wrecked tunnel, which formed now a sort of gaping, chaotic ditch, with
sides at some points precipitous and at others brokenly sloping. The
throng was noisy with excited interest and with relief at having
escaped so cleanly. The break had run just beneath one corner of the
keepers' cottage, tearing away a portion of the foundation and
wrenching the structure slightly aside without overthrowing it. Payne,
who had been in the midst of his Sunday toilet, came out upon his
twisted porch, half undressed and with a shaving-brush covered with
lather in his hand. He gave one look at the damage which had been
wrought, then plunged indoors again to throw his clothes on, at the
same time sounding the hurry call for the attendants in other quarters
of the Park.

Last Bull, who had been standing on his knoll, with his back to the
throngs, had wheeled in astonishment at the heavy sound of the
cave-in. For a few minutes he had stared sullenly, not grasping the
situation. Then very slowly it dawned on him that his prison walls
had fallen. Yes, surely, there at last lay his way to freedom, his
path to the great open spaces for which he dumbly and vaguely
hungered. With stately deliberation he marched down from his knoll to
investigate.

But presently another idea came into his slow mind. He saw the
clamorous crowds flocking back and ranging themselves along the edge
of the chasm. These were his enemies. They were coming to balk him. A
terrible madness