Jim Travers felt that he was lost. The women uttered cries of anguish,clasped their hands, and almost fainted.
Sometimes, however, a person instinctively does the best thing possible,when, if he took time for thought, he would do the worst.
The antipathy of wild beasts to fire is well known, but it must beremembered that the full degree of this terror is felt only during thedarkness of night. The sun was in the horizon when the stirring events wehave set out to narrate were going on.
When Jim came tumbling through the window, he held fast to the blazingtorch, even while trying to save himself from falling. His dexterityenabled him to keep fair command of his limbs, and he bounded to his feetin a twinkling, at the moment when he expected Tippo Sahib to come downupon him like a clawing avalanche.
Then, instead of turning about and clambering back through the window (thesurest means of inviting the attack of the beast), he uttered a shout,and, holding the torch in front, ran straight at the tiger!
It may be doubted whether the fiercest of wild creatures would havewithstood such an assault. Even though the sun was shining, the tiger knewsomething of the meaning of that glowing brand. Wheeling about like a cat,he trotted off, turning his head from side to side, and frequentlyglancing at his pursuer.
His flight brought him into the field of vision of Tom Gordon up-stairs,who had been mystified to understand what was going on below.
"I'll finish him this time," was his conclusion, as he flung up thewindow, thrust the barrel of the weapon through, and dropped on one knee.
But it seemed as if fate held that particular royal Bengal tiger in itsspecial keeping that day. Before Tom could make his aim certain, JimTravers popped in front, so in line with the beast that the young marksmancould not fire at one without risk of hitting the other.
"I daresen't do it," he decided, leaning his gun against the wall besidehim; "I'm afeard of hitting Jim."
Although the latter had displayed an extraordinary degree of coolness at acritical point in the events, it must not be supposed that he possessedany unusual share of courage. It was his implicit faith in the blazingtorch that inspired him to a daring that few men would have shown; but onthe outside he lost his head.
He was hardly conscious of what he was doing when he sat off after thefleeing animal, and there's no saying what the end would have been, orrather there's no doubt that he would have feared ill, had not Tom calledto him,--
"Come back, Jim! Your torch will soon go out, and then he'll have yousure!"
"Golly! that's so!" muttered Jim, stopping like a flash, and dashing forthe house again; "I didn't think of that!"
Good Mrs. Gordon and Aunt Cynthia had recovered in a degree their senses.Unspeakably shocked by the peril of the youth, whose courage theyestimated too highly, they shrank from no risk that could aid his finalescape. They had not closed the shutter after his mishap, and, when theysaw him wheel and run back, they stood by the window ready to receive him.
Jim Travers was a good runner; and when it is stated that he was certainTippo Sahib was skurrying at his heels, it need not be added that he"surpassed himself" in the way of fleetness. Finding, after running ashort way, that the beast was not after him, Jim flung aside the torch andwent through the window like a cannon shot, rolling over and striking theother side of the room before his flight was checked. A lad of his years,however, rarely suffers from hard knocks and bumps, and he was on his feetthe next moment.
"Shet the window quick!" he called, "or he'll be in here."
No need of the appeal, for the mother with deft fingers quickly securedthe shutter as before; and but for the lamp, all would have been indarkness again.
Jim darted up-stairs to learn how his playmate was making out.
"Why don't you shoot, Tom?" he called, hurrying to his side.
"'Cause I don't see anything to shoot at," was the answer.
"What's become of the tiger?"
"I guess you scared him off."
Jim peeped cautiously out of the window.
"That's so; he isn't anywhere round, but he was out there a few minutesago."
"So was you; but you aren't there now."
"I thought he chased me clean up to the winder."
"He didn't foller you a single step; when you struck out for the window,he stopped short and laughed ready to die to see you run."
"The tiger laughed at me!" exclaimed Jim angrily; "who ever heard of sucha thing?"
"Well, he looked as though he wanted to laugh, and then trotted down theroad; I seen him jump over the fence and make for the woods."
"That's where he's gone! I guess I'll go home now, while I have thechance."
"Better wait, Jim, till you're sure he isn't round."
Jim followed this sensible advice, staying to supper, to which he wasalways welcome.
The women had received so great a shock, that they could not recover fromit as quickly as the volatile youngsters. The shutters and doors were keptfastened, and every few minutes they peeped out in quest of the tiger thatshowed so much enmity toward them. When darkness closed in, however, notthe first glimpse had been caught of him, and all began to hope he hadtaken his final departure. Mrs. Gordon gave her consent that Jimmy Traversshould start homeward; and, promising to keep a sharp lookout for thecreature, he departed. It may as well be added that he saw nothing more ofTippo Sahib, nor did the animal pay any visit to his home.
"_Helloa! the house there!_"
This was the startling summons that rang out in the stillness of thenight, about two hours after the departure of Jimmy Travers. Mrs. Gordonstepped to the door, and with some misgiving drew it open. The full moonwas shining brightly, and she saw two horsemen who had halted in thehighway opposite the gate.
"Good-evening!" said the spokesman, lifting his hat in salutation when heobserved the woman; "have you seen anything of a strange animal in thisneighborhood, madam? We have traced him almost to this spot, but have losttrack of him."
"Do you refer to the tiger that escaped from the menagerie thisafternoon?"
"That's the animal we're looking for."
"Yes; he was here late in the afternoon, and tried to jump through thewindow."
"Did he hurt any one?" asked the man in alarm.
"No; we did not receive a scratch. My son shot him."
"What!" exclaimed the other; "did he kill the animal?"
"Oh, no," answered Mrs. Gordon (who was joined by Aunt Cynthia and Tom),smiling at the fear of the visitors; "my boy is quite young, and isn'tmuch of a marksman; he thinks he hit the beast"--
"And I did too," interjected the lad, not pleased with this slur upon hisskill with the gun.
"Possibly he did; but he was not injured much."
"I am glad to learn that. The tiger is one of the most valuable animals wehave in the menagerie; I should be very sorry to lose him."
"But," interposed Aunt Cynthia, "it may become necessary to shoot him inself-defense."
"Not likely; he is not apt to injure any one if he is let alone."
Tom had not forgotten the appalling stories told by Jim Travers on hisarrival from the exhibition.
"I heered he chawed up Sam Harper, Jack Habersham, Bill Dunham, and awhole lot of folks that was at the circus."
The laughter of the two horsemen was hearty.
"Those youngsters are alive and well. The boy who punched the tiger in theeye, and caused all this rumpus, was knocked down and scratched somewhat,but not half as much as he deserved. No one else, so far as we can learn,has been injured; though, as I remarked just now, Tippo Sahib will fightif he is driven into a corner."
"He tried to jump through our window," said Aunt Cynthia.
"Before or after you fired at him?"
"Afterward."
"I suppose it was caused by the hullabaloo of the people, frightened outof their wits. It is the same as when a hue and cry is raised about a dog.If he isn't mad, he will soon become so. But, madam, we are very anxiousto secure the animal before he is
killed or seriously injured. We will paya good reward for his recapture."
"How much?" asked Tom, to the surprise of his relatives.
"One hundred dollars to any one who will secure him without injury, orfixes it so we can recapture him. May I ask where the tiger seemed to begoing when you last saw him?"
"The last we seen of him," replied Tom, "he was cutting 'cross the fieldtoward the woods over yonder."
Thanking the boy and the ladies for their information, the horsemen rodeoff, soon disappearing up the highway.
The fact that these men, experienced in their knowledge of wild animals,were searching for the escaped tiger, naturally lifted much of the fear ofthe beast from the hearts of the Gordon family. They believed the keeperswould recapture him before he could do much harm in the community. Theywere convinced, too, that they were not the only ones looking for him.
The shutters of all the windows were never more carefully barred thanbefore the three inmates retired to their beds.
Tom Gordon, being a rugged, healthy boy, generally passed the night inrefreshing slumber. Not a trace of the ague which kept him from the circusshowed itself in his system when he went up-stairs to his room; but,somehow or other, after he lay down he could not sleep.
No doubt the excitement through which he had gone so wrought upon hisnerves as to drive away all drowsiness; but the thought that was runningthrough his brain found expression in the words:--
"A hundred dollars! What a fortune that is! It would make us comfortablefor life. I wonder if there is any way of catching Tippo Sahib before themen find him.
"I don't believe there's anything in what Jim said about looking thecreature in the eye. S'pose I should meet him in the woods, and fix himthat way, what good would it do? I'd have to stand there till the keeperscome along, and they might not do that for a week or two. By that time I'dbe starved to death, and so would the tiger, and they want him alive.
"Jim must be mistaken, too, 'bout shooting off his tail. Jim and mehaven't got any tails, and we don't have any trouble in walking. I can'tsee how it would make any difference with the tiger, either. I wonderwhere Jim got all them ideas,--I guess where he got the stories 'bout somany people being chawed up."
The lad lay for a while on one side, and then flung himself on the other.Several times he was on the point of dropping into an uneasy slumber, butsome slight noise always came at the critical moment to make him widerawake than he was in the first instance.
What is more disturbing than the occasional rattle of a window sash whenwe are trying to woo sleep? By and by Tom discovered it was that which hadplayed the mischief with his rest. He sprang impatiently out of bed, andhurried to the window, with the intention of righting matters.
The bright moon shining from an unclouded sky made it almost as light asday. He stood a minute, looking out upon the beautiful scene; for, youngas he was, he could not fail to be impressed by the striking loveliness ofeverything out-doors.
"I wonder whether they've catched Tippo Sahib"--
The lad caught his breath, for just then he saw something moving in theshadow of the woodshed. A second look showed it to be some sort ofquadruped, and the third--could he believe his eyes?--revealed the tigerhimself!
Yes, it was the terrible brute and no mistake. The boy rubbed his eyes andlooked again. Some unaccountable attraction seemed to have brought TippoSahib back to the dwelling where he had met with so interesting anexperience that afternoon.
But all this being so, Tom Gordon might well ask himself what good thepresence of the animal promised to be to him. Hitherto, he and his friendshad counted themselves lucky in being able to keep out of his way when heshowed a desire to explore the interior of the house. How, then, could heexpect to get the hundred dollars offered for the capture of the brute?
Mingled with the eager wish of the lad to earn the munificent sum, was aslight misgiving as to the meaning of this return of the tiger. Havingeluded the men sent after him, had he come back to revenge himself uponthose who had treated him so ill?
This discomforting thought was dissipated by the action of Tippo Sahib.He did not move around as on his former visit, but seemed to be prowlingabout the woodshed, as if in quest of something. Surely he would not actthus if he meditated an attack upon the inmates of the home!
But Tom had learned from his aunt and mother that if the tiger chose, hecould readily leap from the ground to the windows of the upper story, and,therefore, would have little difficulty in entering, if he was bent ondoing so.
"I'll get my gun, so as to be ready to shoot him. But if I shoot him, Iwon't get the reward that was promised; but it's better to kill him thanto have him chaw us to pieces."
Just then the animal worked his way round the corner of the structure, outof the shadow, into the bright moonlight. He showed no interest in thehouse itself, but confined his attention to the woodshed,--a fact whichlessened the lad's fear, and held him at the window, closely watching thebeast.
His change of location brought him to the front of the strong woodenbuilding, and near the partially open door.
The heart of the lad gave a great bound.
"S'pose he goes inside, and I slip up and shut him in!"
All the indications pointed to the tiger entering the structure, thoughit was impossible to imagine his purpose, unless he scented the waste foodkept there in a barrel for the pigs belonging to the Widow Gordon.
The attempt the lad had in mind involved a fearful risk; for there couldbe no doubt that if the beast detected him, he would make him serve forsupper.
Probably if Tom had been given a few more minutes to think over thematter, he would have abandoned the design in his mind; but that onehundred dollars looked as big to him as a million does to most people.Hastily drawing on his trousers, he began stealthily descending thestairs. Fortunately for him, his aunt and mother were asleep, else theywould have put an emphatic veto on his foolhardy scheme. The bolts of thedoor were softly slid back, the door itself silently drawn inward an inchor two, and the lad peeped out. His position gave a full view of the frontof the woodshed, and the sight was an interesting one. The tiger hadpartially entered. Indeed, little was seen more than his tail, which,projecting from the darkness of the structure, swayed slowly from side toside, as if he had detected something not altogether pleasing.
"If he goes in, I'll slip out and hook the door; but, if he comes back, itwon't do to let him see me."
This was the thought that stirred Tom Gordon, as he peered stealthily outof the crack made by the door. Could he have thought of any way by whichto drive the tiger inside, he would have done so; but there was none. Hecould only wait and watch, and hope for a favorable issue of theundertaking.
It struck him as strange that the beast should stand so long with only histail in the outer air. The lad fancied it had disappeared entirely; but atthe moment he was about to slip forward, he detected the tuft agitatingthe chips and dirt about the entrance. He therefore held back and stillwatched and waited.
There! the brute must have taken another step farther, for no part of hisappendage was visible. He was wholly within the shed.
It was now or never.
Tom left the door open a few inches, so that if he should find itnecessary to retreat, he would meet with no trouble in re-entering hishome. In that event, however, it wasn't likely Tippo Sahib would meet withany trouble in following him.
The heart of the youth throbbed violently when he stepped out in themoonlight and comprehended the perilous nature of the business.
"If he comes out tail first," was his thought, "I'll have a chance tododge him; but if he comes head first, I'll be a goner."
He was not idle while these imaginings were passing through his mind. Stepby step, and on tiptoe, he stole forward, until he stood within a coupleof paces of the fastening. Then it was that his courage almost desertedhim, and the desire to turn about and make a dash for the door behind himwas well-nigh irresistible.
But the thought of that magnificent
hundred dollars restrained and nervedhim to push on. Another step and he had but to lean forward withoutstretched arm, seize the door, and snap it toward him. He was in theact of doing so, when he heard a guttural growl from within. Had thisreached his ears when he was a few feet farther off, Tom would have turnedand fled for life. He would have done so now but for his belief that itwas too late. He could only save himself by shutting that door before thebeast came through it.
Holding his breath, the lad seized the handle, and with a quick flirt drewthe door toward him. The strong iron hook was slipped into the staple, andhe had done all he could. Yielding then to the panic which had beenstruggling so long within him, he bounded upon the front porch, shotthrough the door, and closed and fastened it in a twinkling. Not even thendid Tom feel safe, but bounded up-stairs with so much haste and noise,that the wonder was he did not awaken his aunt and mother. They slept toosoundly, however, to be disturbed.
He ran to the window of his bedroom, and looked out again, fearing thatthe royal prisoner had already freed himself and would proceed to punishthe one that had taken such liberties with him. Strange to say, everythinglooked as if there was no tiger within a score of miles. The door of thewoodshed was fastened as it had been many times; but no noise ordisturbance, so far as the lad could judge, sounded from within thestructure. The prisoner seemed to have accepted his misfortunephilosophically, and, perhaps, had lain down to rest himself after hisstirring experiences of the afternoon.
"I wonder if he can get out of there. It's pretty strong, and there isn'tany back-door or window that he can use."
The youth was so deeply interested in the question that he brought hischair beside the window and sat down to await results. It was not strange,perhaps, considering the lateness of the hour, that the sleep which he hadlong sought in vain now came to him. By and by his head began nodding,and, despite the cramped position, he slumbered soundly until awakened bythe call of his mother.
As soon as Tom could collect his senses, he looked at the woodshed. So faras he saw, no change had taken place. Then he hurried down-stairs and toldthe astounding tidings.
"Mercy!" gasped Aunt Cynthia, "I was just about going to the shed forsome wood, you were so long coming down. Suppose I had!"
"It would have been all over with you," replied Tom, hardly less startledthan they; "I meant to stay awake all night, but forgot myself."
"Perhaps he has got out," suggested the mother; "I don't understand why hehas kept so quiet."
While they were talking, a call came from the roadway again. When theylooked out, four horsemen were seen.
"We find it impossible to locate that beast," explained the one that haddone the talking the night before; "I hardly suppose you have seenanything more of him."
Before Mrs. Gordon or Aunt Cynthia could reply, Tom asked,--
"Did you say you would give a hundred dollars to any one that gets thattiger without hurting him?"
"We'll be glad to do that, sonny, or if he will show us where he is so wecan capture him."
"Will you give a hundred dollars to have him in the woodshed there?"
"Indeed we will."
"Very well; _he's there!_"
Chapter V.