ght, for in the dim light only the glowing eyes of
the animals could be distinguished in the cages, and the snarls and
growls which came from behind the gratings conjured up visions of what
might happen if one of the animals were loose and crouching on the seats
of the auditorium or in the galleries, waiting for a meal of human
flesh; but to-night it was worse than usual, for the unwonted
restlessness of the animals was apparent even to the untrained senses of
the Stranger.

The carnivora in captivity retain the habits of their relatives of the
jungle and are more alert at night than in the daytime, but following a
hard day's work in the exhibition cage they usually settle down for a
few hours of sleep after receiving their evening allowance of meat.
Although it was long past their resting time, not an eye was closed, and
hundreds of pairs of bright spots were visible in the darkness as the
beasts paced uneasily from end to end of their narrow dens. The
elephants, whose arduous duties in the ring and on the ballyhoo brought
such leg weariness that they were usually glad to be shackled for the
night, were swaying their huge bodies from side to side and straining at
the stout chains which fastened them and the shrill trumpeting of Tom,
the largest one, was echoed and repeated by his companions, Roger and
Alice. The roaring of the lions and the snarling of the tigers was
mocked by the hideous laugh of the hyenas, and the discord of the
strange noises was so disagreeable that the Stranger was relieved when
they left the Arena and returned to the comparative quiet of the
white-topped table.

[Illustration: _"Every one of the great beasts jumped for her."_]

"It will be a severe storm," said the Proprietor as the waiter took
their orders. "Any impending change makes them uneasy, but when every
animal in the menagerie is in the state of excitement which you noticed
to-night you can be assured that it means a very decided disturbance. It
is a thing which animal trainers are ever watchful about, for most of
the training is done at night, and it is not safe to work with them when
they are in that frame of mind."

"But you give your advertised performances just the same," said the
Press Agent.

"That's a different matter," answered the Proprietor. "When the Arena is
lighted up and filled with people, the attention of the animals is
distracted and they forget their nervousness, but a rehearsal at night
is a lonesome proceedin