--beautiful creatures, who lashed their
tails wildly; and before long, two hippopotami were discovered in the
duck-pond, wallowing in their native element. They were very fierce and
wild, and were caught with great difficulty. These were put in the
bandbox with the others. It was a strong, old-fashioned box; but it was
feared it would not last long for the wild beasts. Jedidiah tied it up
with some twine, and it was put for the present in the spare-room
closet.

Mrs. Dyer did not sleep well that night, though her doors had been shut
all day. She dreamed she heard lions all the night long, and was sure a
rhinoceros could get in at the window. Why had Mr. Dyer ever been so
generous with his potatoes? Why had he invited all the people to come?
Of what use had the Noah's Ark been? Jedidiah had got along without toys
before; now his head was turned. Better for him to amuse himself digging
potatoes, or seeing to the squashes, than meddling with the beasts.

And there were the Spinville boys round before breakfast. They were
there, indeed, and began again their search for the beasts. The girls
sat at the chamber windows, watching the chase. Under a cabbage-leaf,
fast asleep, the stray tiger was found. The boy learned in Natural
History went over the terrible list of all the fierce animals. "Yes,
there were ocelots and cougars and jaguars, peculiarly shy and
stealthy in approaching their prey," so the book said. "There was the
chibiguasu----" But Jedidiah said he didn't believe _his_ Noah
cared for such out-of-the-way beasts; they must have come in since his
ark. They had enough to do to catch the regular wild animals, and these
at last they found in some number. They were all seized, and with
difficulty put into a wooden lozenge-box. There was great delight; there
must be all; the ark surely could have held no more. Lions, tigers,
leopards, panthers, lynxes, wildcats,--all the animals necessary for
a respectable ark, all in twos.

But, oh horror! a jaguar was discovered, also, at the last moment just
before school. One jaguar, and there must be another somewhere. The one
found answered the description completely: "the body yellow, marked with
open black figures, considerable variety in the marking." A stray jaguar
in Spinville! so fierce a beast! No one could be sure of his footsteps.
Noah, his sons and their wives, had not been unmoved. Their satisfaction
had been great. They had carried water to the bears, and had looked m