e way."

So the two boy lions walked along the jungle path to the spring where
all the animals drank. On the way they fell down and rolled over and
cuffed one another with their paws--the way all lions do to have fun.
Nero was having a very good time, and he never gave a thought about not
minding his mother.

At last Switchie and Nero came close to the spring.

"Now you stay behind this bush until I look out and see if there are any
hunters," said Switchie.

"All right," answered Nero.

Carefully the older lion boy peeped through the bushes. There was no one
at the spring except some little monkeys, getting a drink, and as soon
as they saw the lion boy away they scampered, chattering, for the
monkeys were afraid of the lions.

"Everything is all right!" called Switchie to the hiding Nero. "There
are no hunters! Come on and get a drink."

Nero was very thirsty, after having played and had fun in the hot jungle
sun, and he very much wanted a drink. So he rushed down to the spring,
which was quite a large one, and began to lap up the water, just as your
dog or cat drinks milk from a dish.

"Isn't this fun?" growled Switchie, as he stopped drinking for a moment.
"Aren't we having fun, Nero?"

"Lots of fun!" answered the other lion cub.

And just then something happened. There was a rattle of the dried leaves
in the jungle back of the spring. Something very hard hit Nero in the
side, and a voice cried:

"There! I'll teach you to drink from my edge of the spring! Take that!"

And the next moment Nero felt himself sliding down the slippery bank of
the spring, and into the water he went with a big splash!

CHAPTER II

NERO GOES HUNTING

The first thought of Nero, the little lion cub boy, as he felt himself
falling into the spring of water, was that Switchie had played a joke
and pushed him in.

"And when I get out I'll push _him_ in," thought Nero. But that was all he
had time to think, just then, for his head went away under the water--as
the spring was deep--and Nero had to think of getting out. So he
splashed and scrambled his way to shore, clawing and spluttering and
half choking, for lions are not good swimmers. Indeed few animals of the
cat family are, and lions belong to the cat family, you know, as do
tigers and jaguars.

So, with his eyes and nose and mouth full of water, Nero scrambled to
shore, a very wet and bedraggled lion boy indeed. On the shore he saw
Switchie standing looking at h