he mere
fact of being caged behind iron bars for the first time in his
life, and that between a roaring, snarling tiger and two grunting
little bears, strongly odoriferous of the wild, affected Finn in
somewhat the same manner that a highly excitable and nervous man of
quite untrained intellect might be affected by being flung into a
cell, surrounded by raving maniacs. If such a man, after a dozen
hours in his cell, were approached by some one whom he had every
reason to regard as a friend and a rescuer, and beaten cruelly with
a weapon possessed of strange and altogether horrible
qualities--supernatural qualities, so far as he could tell--it is
fair to suppose that he would be as much transformed by the ordeal
as Finn was by his ordeal.

Shortly after the episode of the red-hot iron, Finn's cage was
again visited by Sam and the Professor, the former being laden with
a big, blood-stained basket. From this basket the Professor took a
large chunk of raw flesh, and pushed it through the bars into
Finn's cage. A bone was also thrust through the bars, and a fixed
iron pan near the gate was filled from outside with water. The
Professor eyed Finn curiously while he performed these operations,
and was surprised that the Giant Wolf, as they called him, did not
spring forward upon the food.

"I've put the fear of God into him all right, Sam," said the
Professor. "He's not going to touch his grub while we're here. Like
all wolves, he's mighty frightened of traps; and I guess he reckons
there's a trap attaching to this meat. Watch how Killer tackles
his."

Killer was already ravening furiously at the bars of his cage, his
yellow eyes ablaze as he watched the meat his soul desired being
thrust into Finn's cage. The tiger's roars kept Finn's hackles up,
and his fangs bared in a fierce snarl; so that the Professor was
struck afresh with the savageness of the latest addition to the
menagerie under his care. Killer's meat barely reached the floor of
his cage before he had snatched and carried it to the rear, where
he tore it savagely, while maintaining an incessant growling snarl.
But he dropped the meat as though it burned, and crouched fearfully
in the opposite corner of his den, when--by way of display for
Sam's benefit--the Professor picked up his iron bar and threatened
the tiger with it. Now Finn, on the other hand, when he saw the
cruel bar raised, sprang forward with a growling roar of defiance,
fore-feet outstretched, bri