United States or Cameroon ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


It was the voices of men the same sort of voice that had shouted: "I have shot a lion!" Nero pricked up his ears and listened as hard as he could. "Those are hunters!" said the boy lion to himself. "They are coming after me! I must run away and hide! I can't wait for Switchie to come back! I must hide!"

But while he was gone something happened that changed Nero's whole life, and really was the cause of his going to a circus. I'll tell you about it. As Nero sat on the pile of leaves, waiting for his friend Switchie to come back, he suddenly heard a noise in the jungle behind him. He saw some lights flashing and he heard the sound of talk.

"Well, this one saw me all right," said Nero. "My side is sore where he knocked me into the spring." "It's lucky your nose isn't sore where he might have bitten you," growled Switchie. "That was a mean crocodile! We had just as good right to drink on that side of the spring-pool as he had!" "Well, maybe we had," said Nero. "But he was stronger than I, and so he knocked me in. Now I'm all wet!"

"Hello, Nero!" growled Switchie, when he saw his friend coming along the jungle path. "Hello!" growled Nero. Now please don't imagine, just because these lions growled, that they were cross. They weren't anything of the sort. That was just their way of talking. Your dog barks and growls, and that is his way of speaking.

The lions only went on a hunt when they wanted something to eat. They did not kill for fun. It was their way of getting a living. Suddenly, up in front, there sounded a crash among the tangled vines, bushes and trees of the jungle. Then came a roar, but not a very loud one. "What's that?" asked Nero of Switchie. "Oh, that isn't any thing. Don't be afraid," answered the other lion.

The first thought of Nero, the little lion cub boy, as he felt himself falling into the spring of water, was that Switchie had played a joke and pushed him in. "And when I get out I'll push him in," thought Nero. But that was all he had time to think, just then, for his head went away under the water as the spring was deep and Nero had to think of getting out.

"I was taking my second drink, when I heard a noise, and I looked up and saw you sliding down into the water. But I didn't push you in." "Who did, then?" asked Nero, looking around, quite fiercely for a little lion boy. "Who did? If I find out, I'll push him in! If it was one of the monkeys " "Oh, it wasn't any of them," said Switchie quickly.

Don't go to the spring now to get a drink, for the hunters may be watching, and may shoot you with an arrow, or with a queer lead stone, from a thing called a gun, which is worse. So don't get into mischief." "I won't," promised Nero, and he meant to keep his word, but then he didn't count on Switchie. That chap was a bold little lion cub, larger than Nero, and always up to some trick.

It was a warm day, and the lion stretched, opened his mouth as wide as he could, and then lay down in his cage where the sun could warm his back. "It feels just as good as the jungle," thought Nero. "But of course there aren't as many trees, and there are no pools of water, and I haven't Switchie or Chet or Boo to play with. A circus may be nice, but I'll run away the first chance I get."

Nero was very thirsty, after having played and had fun in the hot jungle sun, and he very much wanted a drink. So he rushed down to the spring, which was quite a large one, and began to lap up the water, just as your dog or cat drinks milk from a dish. "Isn't this fun?" growled Switchie, as he stopped drinking for a moment. "Aren't we having fun, Nero?" "Lots of fun!" answered the other lion cub.