blocking us up; and Eustace dropped the reins, turning round with a
cry of "Harry! Harry! I see him. Take us away!"

Harold sprang on the back seat as the coachman jumped down to run to
the horses' heads. He saw over the people's heads, and after that
glance made one bound out of the carriage. I saw then what I shall
never forget, across the wide open space round which the principal
shows were arranged, and which was now entirely bare of people. On
the other side, between the shafts of a waggon, too low for him to
creep under, lay the great yellow lion, waving the tufted end of his
tail as a cat does, when otherwise still, showing the glassy glare of
his eyes now and then, growling with a horrible display of fangs, and
holding between those huge paws a senseless boy as a sort of hostage.
>From all the lanes between the booths the people were looking in
terror, ready for a rush on the beast's least movement, shrieking
calls to someone to save the boy, fetch a gun, bring the keeper, &c.

That moment, with the great thick carriage-rug on his arm, Harold
darted forward, knocking down a gun which some foolish person had
brought from a shooting-gallery, and shouting, "Don't! It will only
make him kill the boy!" he gathered himself up for a rush; while I
believe we all called to him to stop: I am sure of Eustace's "Harry!
don't! What shall I do?"

Before the words were spoken, Harold had darted to the side of the
terrible creature, and, with a bound, vaulted across its neck as it
lay, dealing it a tremendous blow over the nose with that sledge-
hammer fist, and throwing the rug over its head. Horrible roaring
growls, like snarling thunder, were heard for a second or two, and
one man dashed out of the frightened throng, rifle in hand, just in