oluntary hand of
warning upon his companion's knee.

Just what positions the other animals were about to take will never be
known. King's sinews tightened. "Ha-ow!" grunted the Sioux, reverting
in his excitement to his ancient utterance. There was a lightning
sweep of King's paw, a shout from Hansen, a _wah_ of surprise and
pain from the bear. King leaped back to the top of the stand to avoid
the expected counter-stroke. But not against him did the bear's rage
turn. The maddened beast seemed to conclude that his master had
betrayed him. With a roar he struck at Tomaso with the full force of
his terrible forearm. Tomaso was in the very act of leaping forward
from his seat, when the blow caught him full on the shoulder,
shattering the bones, ripping the whole side out of his coat, and
hurling him senseless to the floor.

The change in the scene was instantaneous and appalling. Most of the
animals, startled, and dreading immediate punishment, darted for their
pedestals,--_any_ pedestals that they found within reach,--and fought
savagely for the possession of the first they came to. The bear fell
furiously upon the body of Tomaso. Cries and shrieks arose from the
spectators. Hansen rushed to the rescue, his fork clutched in both
hands. Attendants, armed with forks or iron bars, seemed to spring up
from nowhere. But before any one could reach the spot, an appalling
screech tore across the uproar, and King's yellow body, launched from
the top of the stand, fell like a thunderbolt upon the bear's back.

The shock rolled the bear clean over. While he was clawing about
wildly, in the effort to grapple with his assailant, Hansen dragged
aside the still unconscious Tomaso, and two attendants carried him
hurriedly from the stage.

Audience and stage alike were now in a sort of frenzy. Animals were
fighting here and there in tangled groups; but for the moment all eyes
were riveted on the deadly struggle which occupied the centre of the
stage.

For all that he had less than a quarter the weight and nothing like a
quarter the bulk of his gigantic adversary, the puma, through the
advantage of his attack, was having much the best of the fight. Hansen
had no time for sentiment, no time to concern himself as to whether
his chief was dead or alive. His business was to save valuable
property by preventing the beasts from destroying each other. It
mattered not to him, now, that King had come so effectively to
Tomaso's rescue. Prodding