the unsecured winch and forced the two cages
apart. The door burst open, sprung by the sudden pressure.

The bear stood free.

A considerable amount of legitimate excitement could be injected into
such a moment by reporting that the bear, at last in a position to
revenge itself for past indignities, leaped upon its tormentor with a
blood-freezing roar and that Oliver, a fragile pygmy before that
near-ton of slavering fury, escaped only by a hair or was annihilated
on the spot.

Neither circumstance developed, however, for the reason that the bear
was already feeling the effects of the anesthetic given it and wanted
nothing so much as a cool dark place where it might collapse in
privacy. And Oliver, caught completely off guard, was too stunned by
the suddenness of catastrophe to realize his own possible danger.

What did happen was that Perrl-high-C-trill-and-A-above chose that
particular moment to open her door again and look out.

Her fortuitous timing altered the situation on the instant; the bear,
bent only on escape and seeing comparative gloom beyond the door,
charged not at Oliver but through the opening. And Oliver, still too
confused to think past the necessity of retrieving his error, ran
after it, brandishing his length of board and shouting wildly.

* * * * *

The smaller area beyond the partition was dimly lighted, but to judge
by its straw-covered floor and faint animal smell was evidently a
special division of Mr. Furnay's menagerie. The light was too dim and
the emergency too great to permit Oliver more than a brief and
incredulous glimpse of the improbable beast placidly munching hay in a
corner; his whole attention was centered first on the fleeing bear and
then upon the prostrate form of Perrl-high-C-trill-and-A-above, who
had been violently bowled over by the bear's rush.

"Pearl!" yelled Oliver, petrified with horror.

The bear stood swaying upright over her, threshing its tufted forepaws
for balance and showing yellow tusks in a grimace that stemmed from
drugged weakness but which passed quite creditably for a snarl of
demoniac fury.

Obviously something had to be done. Oliver, galvanized by the
realization, came to the rescue with a promptness that amounted to
reflex action.

"Down, boy!" he said, and dealt the bear a sharp blow across the
muzzle with his board.

The bear dealt Oliver a roundhouse clout in return that stretched him
half-conscious besid