"Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
"Look for yourselves."
The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior. Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
"By George, boys!" he exclaimed, turning about, "the youngster's right; Tippo is in there."
The others hastily dismounted, tied their horses, and joined him. All took a look before they were satisfied no mistake had been made.
The tiger was stretched out in one corner, and had been asleep, when he was awakened1 by the noise. He raised his head, opened his eyes and growled3, but showed no special anger at being disturbed.
While the men were debating as to the best means of securing him, Jack4 Durrick, who had done most of the talking, explained to the ladies and Tom what must have puzzled them concerning the action of the beast.
Durrick, it should be stated, figured on the stupendous posters as "Professor De La Cordova, Successor of the Renowned5 Van Amberg, and Fully6 his Equal in his Amazing Power and Control over the Wild Beasts of the Forest and Jungle." In this case, it must be added, the professor possessed7 fair claim to this distinction. He displayed great skill in the management of wild animals. No one could handle Tippo Sahib as did he. Had he been near the cage when Sam Harper angered him, he never would have permitted the beast to escape.
He said Tippo was frightened and nervous through his suddenly acquired freedom. He suffered pain from the jab in his eye, and was made more restless and fidgety by the excitement and his strange surroundings. The slight wound received by him renewed his anger; but, when he withdrew from the immediate8 vicinity, he undoubtedly9 made a raid on some farmer's live-stock, and had devoured10 a calf11, pig, or sheep. He had eaten his fill, and thereupon became so docile12 as to be comparatively harmless, provided he was treated with consideration.
His return to the scene of his most stirring experience was one of those whims13 which his species sometimes show. Tired from his flight and filled to satiety14, he had lain down to rest in the woodshed, so satisfied with his quarters that he offered no objection when Tom Gordon slipped up and fastened the door. So powerful and active an animal, had he chosen, could have broken out of the place in a twinkling; but he was content to stay where he was until fully rested.
"I assure you," added the professor, "you wouldn't have kept him much longer; when he awoke, hungry and thirsty, he would have placed himself on the outside before you could say Jack Robinson, and then there would have been trouble."
The actions of the professor proved his faith in his own words. He coolly unhooked the door, gently pushed it back, and stepped within the structure. Tippo Sahib uttered a growl2, and Tom and his friends shrank farther away. The men, however, one of whom carried a coil of rope, held their places.
Professor De La Cordova displayed admirable coolness and tact15. He was not rough in manner, but acted like one who felt himself master of the situation. His course, indeed, suggested to Tom that there was much truth in Jim Travers's declaration about the power of the human eye over the denizens16 of the jungle. Standing17 erect18, the man remained motionless for a full minute, during which he kept his gaze fixed19 on the tiger, staring into those orbs20 as if he would "look him through."
Tippo Sahib was uneasy for a brief while, and then succumbed21 to that mysterious hypnotic influence which, in some cases, is equally potent22 with persons. He became humble23, meek24, and, if the term can be allowed, penitent25.
Fully understanding his condition, the professor reached his hand behind him, without removing his gaze from the beast.
"The rope!" he said in a low voice.
The next moment, to the amazement26 of Tom and his relatives, he stepped gently forward, and fastened the rope around the unresisting neck of Tippo Sahib, who was led outside like a thoroughly27 subdued28 dog. Tom gave him plenty of room, and closely watched proceedings29. While doing so, he observed a slight scratch on the hip30 of the beast, barely sufficient to break the skin; that was the path of the bullet fired by the lad the day previous.
Other ropes were fastened about the tiger, who took it all as a matter of course, and calmly followed when his guards moved in the direction of the horses. These resented the approach of the huge cat, so the professor and one of his men walked some distance behind the others, who took care of the animals.
Before their departure, Professor De La Cordova told Tom to call at the hotel between six and seven that evening, and he would be paid the hundred dollars with the thanks of Mr. Jones and all connected with the menagerie and circus.
"I wonder if they mean to cheat me out of it?" said the boy that afternoon, when he looked at the clock and saw it was nearly time to start.
"I hardly think so," replied his mother.
"Why didn't they give the money before they took the tiger away?"
"Probably they hadn't so much with them," suggested Aunt Cynthia, who plainly felt some misgiving31 over matters; "most likely the money has to be paid by some officer connected with the show."
"And he may say he never gave his men the right to make such an offer," remarked Tom.
"That may be," said the mother, thinking it wise to prepare her son for a probable disappointment; "the circus is to exhibit at Boorman's to-night. That is twenty miles off, and all may have gone thither32. If those men choose to disregard their word, I see no help for it."
"It will be awful mean in them," declared the boy, who had become quite nervous; "I'll never catch any more tigers for them."
Tom loitered on his way to Briggsville, striving not to reach there before the time named; but despite the effort, he was in town fully a quarter of an hour too early.
A surprise awaited him. The news of the recapture of the runaway33 tiger had preceded him; and, as was natural, the story was exaggerated to an absurd degree. Jim Travers had told the wondering people that he saw Tom capture Sipo Tahib, as he called him, by jumping on his back and bending his forepaws over his neck. (Peter Parley's History, which Jim read at school, contained a picture of the naturalist34 Chatterton thus navigating35 an alligator36, and Jim couldn't see why a tiger should not be handled the same way. He preferred, however, that some other boy should be the one to make the experiment.)
So it was that Tom found himself the hero of the hour. The boys and all his acquaintances gathered round him, and he had to tell the story over and over, until he became tired. When Jim Travers was reminded that Tom's modest account did not agree with his flamboyant37 yarn38, he said he feared he had got things a little mixed, but that was the way he or Tom would have conducted the recapture had the chance been given them.
"Are you the young man that caught the runaway tiger?" asked a pleasant looking gentleman, somewhat loudly dressed, as he laid his hand on the shoulder of Tom Gordon, while he was standing among a group of his friends on the porch of the hotel.
"I didn't exactly capture him," replied the blushing lad; "but I shut the door of the woodhouse, and he stayed there till the owners came and took him away."
"It's all the same; you deserve as much credit as if you had brought him here without help. I believe they promised you a hundred dollars reward, didn't they?"
"Yes, sir; one of the men said if I would call here between six and seven he would give me the money; but I don't see anything of him," added Tom, looking around, in the hope of catching39 a glimpse of Professor De La Cordova. "Has he gone away"
"Yes; he is to appear in the show to-night at Boorman's, and could not wait. But I am Mr. Jones, the proprietor40, and if you will step inside with me, it won't take us long to fix it. I was only waiting to make sure you were the right lad."
Tom delightedly followed the gentleman into an inner room, where the door was closed and the transaction quickly completed.
Mr. Jones made some sympathetic inquiries41 of the youth, and when he learned of his mother's moderate circumstances, expressed great pleasure that the reward had fallen to him. Then he handed him ten bright, crisp ten-dollar bills.
"That is quite a sum of money for a lad like you to have about him," added Mr. Jones. "You must be careful not to lose it."
"I am very thankful to you, and shall take good care of it," replied Tom.
"Where are you going to carry it?"
"In my inside coat pocket; then I will button my coat over it."
"That's right; and don't unbutton the coat till you reach your own home."
The money was put away as Tom indicated, and, thanking his kind friend again, Tom bade him good-by and withdrew.
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收听单词发音
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1
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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2
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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3
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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4
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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8
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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10
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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calf
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| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
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docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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WHIMS
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| 虚妄，禅病 | |
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satiety
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| n.饱和；(市场的)充分供应 | |
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15
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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16
denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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17
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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19
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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20
orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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21
succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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22
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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23
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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24
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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penitent
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| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
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26
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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28
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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29
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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30
hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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31
misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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32
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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33
runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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34
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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35
navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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36
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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37
flamboyant
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| adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的 | |
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38
yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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39
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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40
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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41
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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