raped his ear on the sand of the path that
ran around the side of the house.

Poor Giant was unconscious, and even in that perilous moment Snap
realized that his little chum had been hit by some of the shot from
the gun. Whether the lad was dangerously wounded or not remained
to be seen.

The two boys had fallen inside the dooryard, which was separated
from the street by a low fence. Hardly did they land when Snap
scrambled up, dragging Giant with him.

"The front door! The front door!" yelled Shep from above. "We'll
let you in!" And then he leaped through the window and tore down
the stairs four steps at a time, with Whopper at his heels.

As Snap turned and looked out into the street he saw a sight calculated
to daunt the stoutest heart. The lion was there, standing erect, with
bristling mane, glaring fiercely at him.

"Get away!" the boy yelled, not knowing what else to do. "Get away!"
And then he picked up a whitewashed stone, one of a number bordering
the garden path. With all his might he threw it at the lion and
caught the beast in the head. The animal turned, slunk along the
fence, and disappeared behind a tree in front of the next house.

The moment the animal turned away, Snap moved toward the piazza. He
had Giant in one of his arms, and in his excitement did not notice
the weight of his burden. As he ascended the steps the door was
flung open and Shep appeared. Then Whopper showed himself, armed
with an umbrella he had snatched from the hall rack.

"Where's the lion?" asked the doctor's son.

"Behind the tree!" gasped Snap, and then he literally fell into the
hallway with Giant still in his arm. At once the door was closed
and locked again.

"Was Giant shot?" queried Whopper, as he threw down the umbrella.

"Yes," answered Snap. "Make a light," he added, for the hallway
was in total darkness.

Mrs. Carson was still upstairs, while the hired girl in her fright
had fled to the garret, so the boys had to stumble around until Shep
found a match and lit the lamp. Whopper and Snap carried Giant
into the sitting-room and placed him on a sofa. As they did this
the small youth opened his eyes and stared around wildly.

"The lion! Don't let him eat me!" he muttered.

"You're safe, Giant," answered the doctor's son.

"I---I got shot!"

"We know it. Let us see if you are badly hurt." On several occasions,
in cases of accident, Shep had aided his father in caring for
patients, and th