This was considered a good suggestion, and all the lads set to work without delay.  Some of the stones were so large it took two to lift them.  They made an excellent wall, and inside of an hour the boys had a barrier around the top of the pit three feet high.

“I don’t think he’ll get out in a hurry,” said Shep.  “But to make sure we can cut some poles and lay them over the stones and pile more stones on top.”

“Humph!  Why didn’t you mention the poles first?” said Snap.

“I didn’t think of it, Snap.”

The saplings were cut and placed in a row over the top of the pit and then some stones were put on top of these.  Evidently the lion did not like to have his light and air cut off, and he commenced to roar again.  But this the boys did not mind, for they now knew they had him fast.

It goes without saying that all the boys were delighted over their catch.

“We’ll have to get word to the circus folks as quickly as possible,” said Snap.  “But where the show is now I don’t know.”

“Probably Tommy knows the route the circus was to take,” answered the doctor’s son.

“He does, for he spoke to me about it,” put Giant.  “But I have forgotten the towns and dates.”

“Do you know what I’d like to do before going on to that lonely cabin?” went on Snap.

“What?”

“Go after that bear.”

“Oh, he is probably miles away by this time,” said the doctor’s son.  “He was too scared to stay around here.”

“Well, let us go after him, anyway.  He went in the direction of the cabin—–­that is, partly.”

“Well, we’ll see in the morning,” said Shep.

The three boy hunters went into camp not very far away from the pit holding the lion.  Once or twice they went up to view their precious prize, and noted that after eating one of the wildcats the lion stretched out and went to sleep.

“Guess he thinks he’s back in the menagerie,” said Giant.  “Well, let him, if only he’ll keep quiet until the circus people take him away.”

It was such a warm night they did not bother with a camp fire, but eating some of the food brought along, soon retired and went sound asleep.  Once Giant awoke with a start and imagined that the lion was after him, but he soon went to sleep again.

I’m the morning they found the captured lion still resting quietly on the bottom of the pit.  He had not touched the second wildcat.

“He’ll have plenty of food,” said Snap.  “But how about water?”

“I was thinking of that,” answered the doctor’s son.  “We’ll have to bring some from a spring and lower it to him.”

They took the kettle they had brought along and filled it at a spring they had found and lowered this into the pit by means of a piece of fishingline Grant carried.  At first the lion roared in rage, but when he saw the water he drank eagerly.  They had to fill the kettle three times before he was satisfied.  Then they took more water and poured it in a hollow on one side of the pit bottom.