“Draw a bead on the tigers. Be sure and make your shots tell.”
The three rifles cracked, and one of the tigers turned over and lay limp and lifeless upon the bottom of the cavern.
The other was hit, but not badly wounded.
The wound, however, had the effect of exciting the animal’s rage and with a roar it vanished from sight for a moment.
When it came into sight again it was seen coming up over the edge of the crater to attack its human foes.
Up over the rocks it came with mad leaps.
“Look out!” cried Frank Reade, Jr.; “take good aim at the beast.”
The three explorers fired. Whether the bullets struck the beast or not it was not easy to say.
But the tiger came on with long bounds.
Before the repeaters could be worked again the tiger was upon them. He struck Pomp first and the darky went over like a ten-pin.