For a few moments the air was full of streaks of yellow.  The cat was now fast at both ends.  The neck hold was the worse of the two, for it choked the beast and soon tired him out.

“Now stretch him,” directed the guide.

“How do you mean?”

“Take a single hitch about the tree with your rope, so that we can straighten him out.”

This Tad did, while Nance performed a similar service on his own line, being careful not to choke the lion to death.  During this latter part of the proceeding the party that had up to that time held off, now approached.

“Will he bite?” asked Walter.

“Stick your finger in his mouth and see?” jeered Chunky.  “He can scratch, too.  But we got him, didn’t we?  We’re the original lion tamers from the wild and woolly West.”

“Come, who is going to tie those claws together, Stacy?” demanded the guide.

“Do what?”

“Tie the cat’s feet together.”

“Let the Professor do it.  He hasn’t done anything yet on this trip.  Besides, I’ve got to stand here ready to shoot if the lion gets away.  If it weren’t for that I’d tie his feet.”

“Here, you tie his feet, then.  I’ll handle the gun,” volunteered Ned, stepping forward.

Chunky drew back.

“If some one will hold my end of the line I’ll attend to that little matter,” said Tad.

“I guess it’s time I did something around here,” interjected Ned.  “What do you want me to do, Mr. Nance?”

“Take your rope, watch your opportunity and rope the forward legs.  After that is done have somebody hold the rope while you tie the feet securely together.”

Ned roped the feet without further question, then handing the line to Walter Perkins, he calmly tied together the feet of the snarling, spitting beast.  The same was done with the hind feet, though the latter proved to be much more dangerous than the forward feet.  But the mouth of the animal was still free.  He could bite and he did make desperate efforts to get at his captors.  They took good care that he did not reach them.  Chunky suggested that they pull the cat’s teeth, so he couldn’t bite.  Tad wanted to know if they couldn’t put a muzzle on.

“The question is what are you going to do with him, now that you have him?” demanded the Professor.

“That’s the first sane word that’s been spoken since we arrived here,” grinned Nance.

“We are going to take him back to camp, of course,” declared Tad.

“Of course we are.  Don’t you understand, we’re going to take him back to camp,” affirmed Stacy.

“What’s your plan, Butler?” asked Nance.

“If you leave it to me, I’ll show you.”

“Go ahead.”

Tad cut a long, tough sapling.  This, after some effort, he managed to pass through the loop made by the bound legs of the lion.  This strung the beast on the pole.

“Now, we’ll fasten the two ends to two ponies,” decided the lad.