two, and one man
dashed out of the frightened throng, rifle in hand, just in time to
receive the child, whom Harold flung to him, snatched from the lion's
grasp; and again we saw a wrestling, struggling, heaving mass, Harry
still uppermost, pinning the beast down with his weight and the mighty
strength against which it struggled furiously. Having got free of the
boy, his one ally was again aiming his rifle at the lion's ear, when
two keepers, with nets and an iron bar, came on the scene, one shouting
not to shoot, and the other holding up the bar and using some word of
command, at which the lion cowered and crouched. The people broke into
a loud cheer after their breathless silence, and it roused the already
half-subdued lion. There was another fierce and desperate struggle,
lasting only a moment, and ended by the report of the rifle.

In fact, the whole passed almost like a flash of lightning from the
moment of our first halt, till the crowd closed in, so that I could
only see one bare yellow head, towering above the hats, and finally
cleaving a way towards us, closely followed by Dermot Tracy, carrying
the rifle and almost beside himself with enthusiasm and excitement.
"Lucy--is it you? What, he is your cousin? I never saw anything like
it! He mastered it alone, quite alone!"

And then we heard Harry bidding those around not touch him, and Dora
screamed with dismay, and I saw he had wrapped both hands in his
handkerchief. To my frightened question, whether he was hurt, he
answered, "Only my hands, but I fancy the brute has done for some of my
fingers. If those fellows could but have held their tongues!"

He climbed into the carriage to rid himself of the crowd, who were
offering all sorts of aid, commiseration, and advice, and Dermot begged
to come too, "in case he should be faint," which made Harry smile,
though he was in much pain, frowning and biting his lip while the
coachman took the reins, and turned us round amid the deafening cheers
of the people, for Eustace was quite unnerved, and Dora broke into sobs
as she saw the blood soaking through the handkerchiefs--all that we
could contribute. He called her a little goose, and said it was
nothing; but the great drops stood on his brow, he panted and moved
restlessly, as if sitting still were unbearable, and he could hardly
help stamping out the bottom of the carriage. He shouted to Eustace to
let him walk, but Dermot showed him how he would thus have th