With a leap and a bound Tamba cleared the low, stone wall and found himself on the sidewalk of a street. Just at this place, and at this time, there did not happen to be any wagons, street cars or automobiles. Tamba was beginning to think everything was coming along finely, and that he would easily get to the salt water when, all of a sudden, he heard a woman scream. Then a man, who was with her, cried:
“What’s the matter? What is it?”
“A tiger! A tiger! Look, there’s a tiger loose in the street!”
“Why—why—so it is!” exclaimed the man, who, with the woman, had come walking along soon after Tamba leaped over the wall. “It’s a real, live tiger! It must have escaped from the zoo. I’ll drive it back!”
“Oh, don’t! He might bite or claw you!” cried the woman. “Get a policeman!”
“I will,” answered the man, and he began to call loudly.
“This is no place for me!” quickly thought Tamba. “I must run and hide again.”
Of course he did not know what the man and woman were saying, but he knew that they would want to catch him, or call some one to do it, and so Tamba knew he must hide.
He looked about for a good place to go. He did not want to jump back into the park. Up the street, a little way, he saw what he thought was the opening to a big cave. True, it was lighter than the entrance to the jungle cave where Tamba used to live, but perhaps it might do for a hiding place.
“I’ll go in there!” decided Tamba.