Rob gladly moved backward, and at the same time the keeper, who carried in his hand a stout, heavy whip, advanced, repeating his command to the tiger.
This creature was in too ill humor to obey willingly. Perhaps the short period of freedom he had enjoyed had made him unwilling to return to his captivity. At any rate, he continued to lash himself into a rage, while his keeper slowly moved nearer.
“Back, Leo, back!” commanded the latter, and to give greater force and impressiveness to his words he brought his heavy whip smartly about the body of the tiger.
The beast uttered a terrific growl, and as if goaded to desperation leaped straight at the throat of his one-time conqueror.
The spell of subjection was broken. Once more the wild, untamed and untamable spirit of the jungle asserted itself. The stern command, the crack of the whip, the flashing eye had no longer any terror for the aroused brute, and he cared only to devour his whilom master.
Little Hickory felt greater fear in witnessing this attack on his deliverer than when he had himself faced the angry creature. But the suspense was of short duration this time.
A quick movement of the right hand on the part of the keeper, the flash of powder, and the report of a firearm were closely followed by the death cry of the doomed tiger, whose last leap ended with his frantic, dying struggles.
“It was too bad, too bad,” declared the man, as he watched the futile efforts of the brute to regain its feet. “He was a valuable animal, but it was his life or mine, and mine was worth more to me.”
“I was beginning to think it would be my life,” said Rob, “but you came in good season.”
“Ay, lad, you were in a tight box, but you showed true grit. Do you know, young fellow, there ain’t one in ten thousand who could have stood up there as you did? I saw it all, but I knew it would precipitate a crisis if I made a move before I was near enough to hope for an effect. Say, if you will go with me I will guarantee you a position where you can earn good money and a good-sized pile of it. What do you say?”