the automobile, not going
far away. Though at first they missed the long tramps in the fields and
through the woods, they were good children and did as they were bid.
Besides, deep down in his heart, Bunny was just a _little bit_ afraid of
the lion, even though he had said he wanted to go hunting for him with
Uncle Tad.

Two days passed, and the lion had not been found. The circus had gone
on, leaving two men in the town near which the automobile was stranded.
These men, with a spare cage which had been left with them, were ready
to go out with nets and ropes and capture the lion as soon as any one
should bring in word as to where it was hiding.

The countrymen and the boys, who had no other work to do, still kept up
the lion hunt, some with dogs, but the big circus animal was well
hidden.

"If he was playing hide-and-go-seek," said Bunny, "I'd holler 'Givie-up!
Givie-up! Come on in free!' For I never could find him, he has hidden
himself so good."

"Well, I wish he would go and hide himself far, far away," almost
snapped Sue. "Then we could go around like we used to, and go on the
lake."

"I wish so too," agreed Bunny.

It was getting rather tiresome for the children to stay so close to
"home," as they called the automobile, but Mr. Brown said the new spring
would arrive in a few days, and then they would travel on again, far
from where the lion was hiding.

"And we can keep on looking for Fred Ward," said Bunny. In the
excitement over the circus the runaway boy had been almost forgotten.

It was three days after the lion had broken loose, and evening was
approaching, when Mrs. Jason, wife of the farmer who had been so kind to
the Browns, came hurrying down to the automobile beside the road. She
was out of breath and seemed much excited.

"Oh, Mr. Brown!" she exclaimed. "Do you know anything about doctoring?"

"About doctoring! Why? Is Mr. Jason ill?"

"No, but I've got a badly hurt boy up at my house. He's all scratched
up."

"Has he been picking berries?" asked Bunny.

"No. They're worse scratches than that. Big, deep ones on his face,
hands and shoulders. I've bandaged him as best I could, and sent Mr.
Jason for the doctor; but I was wondering if you could do anything until
Dr. Fandon came."

"A scratched boy?" repeated Mr. Brown slowly. "What scratched him?"

"A great big lion, he says!" exclaimed Mrs. Jason. "I declare I'm so
excited I don't know what to do!" and she sat down on a stool Mrs. Br