t made
easier by the existence of Finn's latest wounds. Both his fore-legs
and his muzzle had suffered severely under the iron that day; and
it was with these that he now tested his bars, slowly,
conscientiously, and with painful thoroughness, from the bar
nearest Killer's cage to that at the end of the gate of his own,
which closed on to the partition of the native bears' division. It
was the bottom of the bars that Finn always tried, where they
entered the floor of the cage. He took each between his teeth and
pushed and pulled; sometimes pushing or pulling with his paws as
well. And the result, on this night of bright moonlight and great
pain, was as it had always been. The iron did not change.

[Illustration: Was lost in the shadow of the main tent.]

Having reached the end of his task, Finn sat erect on his haunches
for it may have been a quarter of an hour, gazing out at the risen
moon, which sailed serenely now, high above the praying hands of
the skeleton trees. Certainly, Finn's spirit was near to
breaking-point. He rose, meaning to seek his corner again, as after so
many other futile testings of his bars; but something moved him first
to look out as far as he could, over the tent-top, to the great world
beyond. Sore though his body was, he rose erect upon his hind-feet,
placed his fore-feet against the upper half of the gate, and only
narrowly escaped falling forward through the gate to the ground
beneath. In his passion the Professor had slammed the barred gate
to as usual and, in flinging himself angrily off from the place,
had omitted to slip the two thick bolts which normally held it
secure. The gate fitted closely, and was rusty, besides; so that
Finn's jaws, tugging at its extreme foot, and upon this particular
occasion less strongly no doubt than usual, had not shifted it. But
his weight pressing against the upper half was quite another
matter; and now the gate stood wide open before him.

For an instant, Finn's heart swelled within him, so sharply, and so
greatly, that a little whine burst from him, and it seemed he was
unable to move. So the sight of the open gate, giving upon the
silent open night, affected the Wolfhound. In the next instant he
dropped quietly to the earth, and was lost in the inky shadow of
the main tent.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVII

FREEDOM

Very wonderful and wolf-like, cat-like, too, in some respects, was
Finn's progress through the circus encampment on that