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Authors: Willard Price
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striped.’
‘But in the Bronx Zoo in New York, I saw a lion with stripes.’
Hal laughed. ‘Yes, that could happen. If a young animal has a lion for a mother and a tiger for a father, the youngster will be a tiger-lion. Such a crossbreed is called tigon. ‘Tig’ for tiger and ‘on’ for lion. Or a liger, ‘H’ for lion and ‘ger’ for tiger.’
That must have been what I saw - a liger.’
Reaching home, they took the lioness and her cub out of the small cage and put them into the great cage already inhabited by the tiger.
‘Is it safe?’ Roger asked. They might kill each other.’
‘Look at them,’ Hal said. ‘Now the two big ones are sniffing at each other, nose to nose. They are friends already. I’m sure the tiger is glad to have company.’
Roger brought some meat and put it into the cage. The tiger looked at it and the lion looked at it. Each politely waited for the other to eat. Finally they settled down to dinner, the lion nibbling at one end of the meat, the tiger at the other.
Hal and Roger walked to their cabin. Near the cabin was the cage of Big Fella, the elephant. The cage was empty. The elephant was nowhere to be seen.
‘He’s walked out on us!’ exclaimed Roger. ‘He seemed to like me - I never dreamed he’d up and leave me.’
‘No,’ Hal said, ‘he wouldn’t do that. Besides, he couldn’t open that door even with the thing that looks like a finger at the end of his trunk.’
‘So what?’ Roger wondered.
‘Somebody opened that door. Somebody forced him to come out and took him away. But who?’
For the answer to that, we shall have to look at what happened while the boys were away.
The three crooks lived in a barn that was not a barn. It once was a place for hay and horses, but now it had been converted into a sort of cabin for visitors.
They’ve gone,’ said Vic. ‘Now’s our chance to get that thousand-dollar bundle. Perhaps five thousand in the Tokyo Zoo. Come on. Let’s get Big Fella.’
They walked to the cage and opened it. The elephant was not as quiet as a lion. He let out a high, shrill scream like the whistle of a fire-engine.
There now, don’t get excited. No use hollering. Your boy friend is too far away to hear you,’ Vic said.
He took hold of the end of the elephant’s trunk. Big Fella jerked his trunk away. Then he picked up this rascal and threw him into a thorn bush twenty feet off. This bush is famous for its three-inch thorns, each one as sharp as a needle, ft is called Wait-a-Bit because once you get into it you are held by the thorns and must wait quite a long bit before you can get free.
Now Jim took his turn with the elephant. He kept away from the trunk and went around behind the beast. He twisted the tail of the monster. He didn’t know an elephant could kick, but he found out when he was plastered against the back wall of the cage.
It was Harry’s turn. He gave the screaming beast a resounding whack with a stick he had picked up outside. A huge foot knocked him down and held him down on the floor. If the elephant had rested all the weight of his heavy body upon the foot, Harry would have become a pancake. But, after all, Big Fella was not a killer. He lifted his foot and Harry made for the door holding his stomach.
Now the three took hold of the trunk and pulled. An elephant’s trunk is sensitive and the pull hurt. Big Fella began to move. They walked him out of the cage and down the road to their barn-house.
‘What’ll we do with him now?’ inquired Jim. We’ve got to hide him somewhere. If we tie him to a tree he’ll be found. Or else he’ll pull the tree down and escape.’
Harry, still nursing his injuries, had no suggestion.
Vic said, There’s only one thing we can do. Take him into our house.’
‘An elephant - in the house? You can’t do that,’ Jim said.
‘We can, and we must.’
‘But we couldn’t get him through the door.’
‘Of course we could. It’s a barn door twelve feet high. He’s only
‘But in the Bronx Zoo in New York, I saw a lion with stripes.’
Hal laughed. ‘Yes, that could happen. If a young animal has a lion for a mother and a tiger for a father, the youngster will be a tiger-lion. Such a crossbreed is called tigon. ‘Tig’ for tiger and ‘on’ for lion. Or a liger, ‘H’ for lion and ‘ger’ for tiger.’
That must have been what I saw - a liger.’
Reaching home, they took the lioness and her cub out of the small cage and put them into the great cage already inhabited by the tiger.
‘Is it safe?’ Roger asked. They might kill each other.’
‘Look at them,’ Hal said. ‘Now the two big ones are sniffing at each other, nose to nose. They are friends already. I’m sure the tiger is glad to have company.’
Roger brought some meat and put it into the cage. The tiger looked at it and the lion looked at it. Each politely waited for the other to eat. Finally they settled down to dinner, the lion nibbling at one end of the meat, the tiger at the other.
Hal and Roger walked to their cabin. Near the cabin was the cage of Big Fella, the elephant. The cage was empty. The elephant was nowhere to be seen.
‘He’s walked out on us!’ exclaimed Roger. ‘He seemed to like me - I never dreamed he’d up and leave me.’
‘No,’ Hal said, ‘he wouldn’t do that. Besides, he couldn’t open that door even with the thing that looks like a finger at the end of his trunk.’
‘So what?’ Roger wondered.
‘Somebody opened that door. Somebody forced him to come out and took him away. But who?’
For the answer to that, we shall have to look at what happened while the boys were away.
The three crooks lived in a barn that was not a barn. It once was a place for hay and horses, but now it had been converted into a sort of cabin for visitors.
They’ve gone,’ said Vic. ‘Now’s our chance to get that thousand-dollar bundle. Perhaps five thousand in the Tokyo Zoo. Come on. Let’s get Big Fella.’
They walked to the cage and opened it. The elephant was not as quiet as a lion. He let out a high, shrill scream like the whistle of a fire-engine.
There now, don’t get excited. No use hollering. Your boy friend is too far away to hear you,’ Vic said.
He took hold of the end of the elephant’s trunk. Big Fella jerked his trunk away. Then he picked up this rascal and threw him into a thorn bush twenty feet off. This bush is famous for its three-inch thorns, each one as sharp as a needle, ft is called Wait-a-Bit because once you get into it you are held by the thorns and must wait quite a long bit before you can get free.
Now Jim took his turn with the elephant. He kept away from the trunk and went around behind the beast. He twisted the tail of the monster. He didn’t know an elephant could kick, but he found out when he was plastered against the back wall of the cage.
It was Harry’s turn. He gave the screaming beast a resounding whack with a stick he had picked up outside. A huge foot knocked him down and held him down on the floor. If the elephant had rested all the weight of his heavy body upon the foot, Harry would have become a pancake. But, after all, Big Fella was not a killer. He lifted his foot and Harry made for the door holding his stomach.
Now the three took hold of the trunk and pulled. An elephant’s trunk is sensitive and the pull hurt. Big Fella began to move. They walked him out of the cage and down the road to their barn-house.
‘What’ll we do with him now?’ inquired Jim. We’ve got to hide him somewhere. If we tie him to a tree he’ll be found. Or else he’ll pull the tree down and escape.’
Harry, still nursing his injuries, had no suggestion.
Vic said, There’s only one thing we can do. Take him into our house.’
‘An elephant - in the house? You can’t do that,’ Jim said.
‘We can, and we must.’
‘But we couldn’t get him through the door.’
‘Of course we could. It’s a barn door twelve feet high. He’s only
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