s sparring. It was
funny, the way they looked round at each other while backing up to a
fresh reach.

"Now, the tiger and the lion were having it out forward of the house;
the wolves and the hyenas were scrapping, as they could, two against
one; the python and the cobra were trying to swallow each other, and
the asses and zebras were kicking the ribs out of each other. And, as
if this were not enough to complete the circus, the hippo and the rhino
must get together.

"Hippo made a plunging charge upon rhino and met that formidable tusk.
But the hide of a hippo is something akin to armor-plate, and there was
no damage, though the big brute was lifted and turned over. He came
back, and in some manner got a grip on that big horn with his teeth;
and from that on, their fight was simply a wrestling-match, neither
able to hurt the other.

"And over their grunts and groanings, over the noise of the wolves and
hyenas, the tiger and lion, and the slatting and bumping of the broken
gear against the mast, and the sounds of sea and wind, rose supreme to
our ears the blatant squealing and trumpeting of that mad elephant in
the 'tween-decks.

"Added to this were the insane orders to us fellows of the skipper and
the two mates. They demanded that we go down and quell the disturbance.
Well, we did not go down. We did other things.

"It was I who suggested to the skipper the advisability of cutting away
the connections that held those spars and sails aloft, so that they
would drop down and free the ship of the extra top-hamper. He was badly
rattled, but accepted my suggestion; so, at his orders, men went aloft
on all three masts, and soon the wreck came down, the mizzen top-hamper
falling overboard and the main diving down the open main-hatch. We
hoped it hit the elephant.

"It was only chance, of course; but the foretop-gallantmast, with the
royal yard attached, did hit the tiger a smashing blow on the head that
ended his troubles. We could see him, just clear of the forward house,
with the lion at his throat. There wasn't much of it. The lion bit in;
then, satisfied that he had done the job, he left the dead tiger and
came aft, still bleeding from the hole between the forelegs, and
pounced upon rhino, who had made that hole.

"It roused the rhino. With a mighty upheaval, he shook off the hippo
and charged on the lion. But this fighter had grown wary; he dodged and
jumped, growling and snarling the while, but apparently in no