Page 157 - A Little Bush Maid

Tn came the elephant, lightly harnessed, and drawing a huge cage on
wheels. On other sides marched attendants in special uniforms, and on the

elephant’s back stood the lion tamer, all glorious in scarlet and gold, so that
he was almost hurtful to the eye. Tn the cage three lions paced ceaselessly

up and down. The band blared. The people clapped. The clown bowed his
forehead into the dust and said feelingly, "Wow!"

Beside the ring was another, more like a huge iron safe than a ring, as it
was completely walled and roofed with iron bars. The cage was drawn up

close beside this, and the doors slid back. The lions needed no further
invitation. They gave smothered growls as they leaped from their close
quarters into this larger breathing space. Then another door was opened

stealthily, and the lion tamer slipped in, armed with no weapon more
deadly than a heavy whip.

Norah did not like it. Tt seemed to her, to put it mildly, a risky proceeding.
Generally speaking, Norah was by no means a careful soul, and had no

opinion of people who thought over much about looking after their skins;
but this business of lions was not exactly what she had been used to. They

appeared to her so hungry, and so remarkably ill tempered; and the man
was as one to three, and had, apparently, no advantage in the matter of teeth
and claws.

"Don’t like this game," said the bush maiden, frowning. "Ts he safe,

Daddy?"

"Oh, he’s all right," her father answered, smiling. "These chaps know how

to take care of themselves; and the lions know he’s master. Watch them
Norah."

Norah was already doing that. The lions prowling round the ring, keeping
wary eyes on their tamer, were called to duty by a sharp crack of the whip.

Growling, they took their respective stations--two on the seats of chairs, the
third standing between them, poised on the two chair backs. Then they

were put through a quick succession of tricks. They jumped over chairs and
ropes and each other; they raced round the ring, taking hurdles at intervals;