the bars as a menace to the leopards who were, very much against their
wills, to be made to perform.

They resented Michael's intrusion on the instant, spitting, lashing their
long tails, and crouching to spring. At the same instant the trainer
spoke with sharp imperativeness and raised his whip, while the men on the
outside lifted their irons and advanced them intimidatingly into the
cage. And the leopards, bitter-wise of the taste of the iron, remained
crouched, although they still spat and whipped their tails angrily.

Michael was no coward. He did not slink behind the man for protection.
On the other hand, he was too sensible to rush to attack such formidable
creatures. What he did do, with bristling neck-hair, was to stalk stiff-
leggedly across the cage, turn about with his face toward the danger, and
stalk stiffly back, coming to a pause alongside of Jack, who gave him a
good-natured sniff of greeting.

"He's the stuff," the trainer muttered in a curiously tense voice. "They
don't get his goat."

The situation was deservedly tense, and Ralph developed it with cautious
care, making no abrupt movements, his eyes playing everywhere over dogs
and leopards and the men outside with the prods and bars. He made the
savage cats come out of their crouch and separate from one another. At
his word of command, Jack walked about among them. Michael, on his own
initiative, followed. And, like Jack, he walked very stiffly on his
guard and very circumspectly.

One of them, Alphonso, spat suddenly at him. He did not startle, though
his hair rippled erect and he bared his fangs in a silent snarl. At the
same moment the nearest iron bar was shoved in threateningly close to
Alphonso, who shifted his yellow eyes from Michael to the bar and back
again and did not strike out.

The first day was the hardest. After that the leopards accepted Michael
as they accepted Jack. No love was lost on either side, nor were
friendly overtures ever offered. Michael was quick to realize that it
was the men and dogs against the cats and that the men and does must
stand together. Each day he spent from an hour to two hours in the cage,
watching the rehearsing, with nothing for him and Jack to do save stand
vigilantly on guard. Sometimes, when the leopards seemed better natured,
Ralph even encouraged the two dogs to lie down. But, on bad mornings, he
saw to it that they were ever ready to spring in between him and any
possible atta