SOME MODERN GLADIATORS
was more trouble than an unmarried man ought to inherit. 'Only one, remember,' I begged.
"‘Just as you say, Billy, but I can see two,' he insisted, mildly. 'One's coming towards us; t'other ain't. Which shall we shoot at?'
"And bless you, sir, there were two lions. I thought at first I'd caught his hallucinations and half expected to see a pink giraffe crawling up my shirt-sleeve. But it was real. The audience, to enliven the scene, had let loose another tease in the pen.
"‘One at a time and a huge surprise for each,' cheered Tib, swerving on his pins a bit.
"But even this shadowy chance was eliminated, for as he spoke our hut vanished. The rascals had fastened a line to the top and had yanked the meagre shelter over the barrier. There we were in the open, with a fringe of black faces mocking us over the fence.
"Tib stood with his mouth ajar in astonishment. Then he drew me aside reproachfully, and whispered: 'Don't try to humor me. Tell me the truth. Did that really happen, or was it a delusion?'
"‘A11 real,' I howled, clutching his arm.
"‘I always like to know,' he explained, gravely. Then he cried: 'In the name of the Continental Congress— Don't shoot too quick!'
"For the big, eight-foot male, accompanied by a
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