Another roar was the only answer, and then the lion left the vicinity of the tree and moved back several yards beyond the branch to which Leo clung.
The boy knew what was coming, and immediately stood up on the limb.
He was none too soon.
Again the lion made a leap upward.
He reached the limb, but only to find that Leo had taken a spring to the next above.
But now an accident happened which neither the boy nor the brute was expecting.
The apple tree was old and somewhat rotted at the roots. The weight of the boy and the sudden shock from the heavy body of the lion were too much for it to stand.
There was a crack and a loud snap, and then the tree went over on the ground, carrying Leo and the lion with it.
The lion was completely bewildered by the fall, and, moreover, he was entrapped for the moment by several limbs which came down on his back and neck.
As the tree went over, Leo turned around and landed on his feet directly beside the lion.