, Chunky knew
what would happen to himself. The boy determined to sleep with one
eye open, his rifle beside his bed. He would die fighting bravely for
his life. He was determined upon that.

Around the camp fire a jolly party of boys gathered that night after
supper, their merry conversation interrupted occasionally by a snarling
and growling from the captive.

"Now, young gentlemen, we are anxious to hear the story of the capture,"
said the Professor.

"Oh, it was nothing," answered Stacy airily. "It was nothing for us.
Shooting cats is too tame for such hunters as Tad and me. We just saw
him up a tree---that is, I saw him, and-----"

"Where were you?" interrupted Nance.

"I was up the same tree," answered Stacy.

"I'll bet the cat treed him," shouted Ned Rector. "How about it, Tad?"

"Chunky's telling the story. Let him tell it in his own way."

"I'll tell you about it, fellows. I was up a tree looking for lions.
I found one. He was sitting in the same tree with me. He was licking
his chops. You see, he wanted a slice of me, I'm so tender and so
delicious-----"

"So is a rhinoceros," interjected Ned.

"If the gentleman will wait until I have finished he may have the floor
to himself. Well, that's about all. I yelled for Tad. He came
running, and he roped the cat."

"Then what did you do?" questioned Walter.

"Oh, I fell out of the tree. Look at this!" shouted Stacy as soon as
he was able to make himself heard above the laughter, pointing to his
ripped clothes. "That's where the beast made a pass at me. I'm wounded,
I am; wounded in a hand-to-hand conflict with the king of the canyon.
How would that read in the Chillicothe 'Gazette' I'm going to dash off
something after this fashion to send them: 'Stacy Brown, our
distinguished fellow citizen, globe-trotter, hunter of big game and
nature lover, was seriously wounded last week in the Grand Canyon of
Arizona-----'"

"In what part of your anatomy is the Grand Canyon located?" questioned
Ned Rector. "I rise for information."

"The Grand Canyon is where the Pony Rider Boys store their food,"
returned Stacy quickly. "Where did I leave off?"

"You were lost in the Canyon," reminded Walter.

"Oh, yes. 'Was seriously wounded in the Grand Canyon in a desperate
battle with the largest lion ever caught in the mountains. Assisted
by Thaddeus Butler, also of Chillicothe, Mr. Brown succeeded in
capturing the lion alive, after his bloodstained