6
THK BATTALION.
Quickly and quietly the lions and tig-ers were put
throug-h their tricks. Once when a lion refused to
march between two tig-ers a lash of the quirt brougdit from it
a roar that made even the oldest of the showmen start.
‘‘The Prince is unusually rash tjliy,’’ muttered the old
menag-erie keeper. For their last trick each lion was paired
off with a tig-er. The trainer then stepped directly in front
of the first pair and lay down. With a slig'ht toss of the
quirt he beckoned 'hem on. “Jesu!'' muttered Father Jean,
‘At is sacrilegious to tempt the devil in those beasts that
way. The larg;est of those lions has killed seven men in its
life,” whispered Pierre Tbnvant. ‘‘That smallest tig-er has
killed two men this season,” his neighbor answered.
The first pair stepped over the trainer quickly; the second
pair after sniffing a time or two stepped gingerly over him;
the third pair stepped squarely in front of him. The lion
gave a low growl that was echoed b3* the tiger. The
audience stopped breathing. Father Jean closed his et'es
and prayed. The quirt in the trainer’s hand moved slightly
and the pair passed slowly over him. The instant they were
over, the trainer was on his feet and in the same moment the
lion wheeled. Instantly the quirt popped like a rifle shot,
and the lion crouched for a spring, uttering a roar that
brought every person in the tent to their feet. There was
another pop of the quirt and the lion turned. A few mo
ments later the trainer was on the outside of the cage and
the show was over.