OH, SHOOT! 



Fred somewhat complicated it by falling back- 

 ward out of the tree and jerking the lioness 

 from her perch. Fortunately, however, she 

 fell over a limb, the rope held, and she re- 

 mained suspended. There was a momentary 

 question whether she would come down and 

 take Fred up or vice versa, but Ambrose 

 wrapped his legs round his perch and hung 

 grimly to the other lariat. Meanwhile, our 

 victim was spinning like a gyroscope, and 

 turning aerial handsprings until the whole 

 tree shook. She was livelier than a tarpon, 

 and we were glad our tackle was heavy. 



Hurriedly we tied up the dogs, then lowered 

 the lioness. Now, the air at eight thousand 

 feet is rare, but our hangman's nooses at her 

 throat had rendered it rarer still, and she was 

 limp when we let her down. She had fainted ; 

 hence it took but an instant to tie her feet. 

 Even as the last knot was drawn, however, she 

 recovered, and she recovered with a rush. 

 Her eyelids did not flutter; she did not heave 

 a long hesitating sigh and say, "Where am I? " 



Nothing like that. She knew where she 

 was and she knew where I was or where I 

 had been a minute fraction of a second 

 previously. 



208 



