antagonist. Quickly he got to his feet, while the smaller lion
did the same. They stood for a moment eyeing each other, their
tails twitching, the hair on their backs bristling, and all the
while they uttered frightful, roars.

An instant later the larger beast sprang toward his rival. One
terrible paw was upraised. The small lion tried to dodge, but was
not quick enough. Down came the paw with terrific force, and the
boys could hear the back bone snap. Then, clawing his antagonist
terribly, as he lay disabled, the older lion, with a roar of
triumph, lapped up water, and sprang off through the jungle,
leaving his dying rival beside the spring.

"That's the end," cried Tom, as the small lion died, and the
young inventor pressed the button stopping his camera. There was
a rustle in the leaves back of Tom and Ned, and they sprang up in
alarm, but they need not have feared, for it was only Koku, the
giant, who, with a portable electrical torch, had come to see how
they had fared.

"Mr. Tom all right?" asked the big man, anxiously.

"Yes, and I got some fine pictures. You can carry the camera
back now, Koku. I think that roll of film is pretty well filled."

The three of them looked at the body of the dead lion, before
they went back to the airship. I have called him "small," but, in
reality, the ;beast was small only in comparison with his rival,
who was a tremendous lion in size. I might add that of all the
pictures Tom took, few were more highly prized than that reel of