The uproar had caused Leo to stop his performance; indeed, it had stopped everything but the stampede of the audience.
Suddenly the elephant ran directly under the young gymnast.
As he did so there came another crash of thunder.
The elephant raised up on his rear legs, and his trunk went up to where Leo swung.
And then a startling thing happened.
Leo dropped directly upon the beast’s head. With remarkable rapidity he slid back on to the neck.
“Throw me a rope!” he yelled to the nearest attendant, and the fellow did so.
Then the end of the elephant’s trunk came up angrily. He intended to catch hold of the young gymnast and hurl him to the earth, there to trample on him.
But Leo slipped further back, and at the same time threw the noose of the rope over the uplifted proboscis.
He hauled it taut, and with the end of the rope in his hand, sprang down and ran at lightning speed to the nearest centerpole.