"I mean to be a Lion King," lisped little Jollyman, proudly.

"A-ha, my leetle boy, cela va sans dire; but it is not so easy to be Lion King. Non, non, Madame Greemstun, let him make de boots, kill de mouton, sweep de streets-do not let him be Lion King. My poor vife! vat she suffer in her heart! I am so brave man, she dream vonce a veek she see me in my coffin. Moi, when I go into de cages, I not know if I come out. No, my leetle godson, you make de boots, sweep de streets, feed de horses vid de hay-dat is better dan feeding de vild beasts vid your own flesh, and blood, and bones. Moi, I am so brave man, je n'ai jamais peur; but I not know when I be killed."

Going in amongst lions and leopards had seemed terrible enough, however fascinating in its terror, to little Jollyman, but he had never known before that M. Sohier fancied there was any danger in it. For half a minute his opinion of the Lion King

went down a little, but the next minute it went up higher than before.

Of course the Lion King was braver in risking a danger that he was well aware of, than he would have been if he hadn't known that it was a danger. As to whether it was right that a man should have to earn his living by daily risking his life in order to afford excitement merely to people who gaped at him, secure themselves from danger, little Jollyman was too young to have formed an opinion.

The menagerie was once more at Ryecester, and M. Sohier was once more going through his performances with the leopards. Little Jollyman was staring at him with unsated wonder, when the Lion King dropped his whip. He stooped to pick it up, and, freed from the cowing influence of his eye, the leopards leaped upon him.

There was a horrid hubbub in the cage. In vain did M. Sohier fall back on his old tactics of petting one party of his rebellious subjects in order to set them by the ears with the other party.

All his subjects were on him. He clutched the crowbar left leaning, as a weapon of last resort, in a corner of the cage. But it was too late. He was down on his face, with a sea of undulating spotted skin surging over him. The women and children in the show made the menagerie ring with their shrieks. A wild stampede of men, women, and children took place.

Little Jollyman was as horrified as anybody, but his hero was down, and he was not going to run away. The Lion King had been rolled over towards the front of the cage. One leopard, snarling greedily at the others, was prone upon him; its tail was wagging outside the bars. Little Jollyman dived under the safety-rope which ran in front of the cages, and tugged at the tail with all his might. The leopard turned upon him with a savage growl, thrusting both forelegs, with the claws out, between the bars. Fortunately, little Jollyman had fallen backwards beyond its reach.

Meantime, the Lion King, fearfully bitten, had

staggered to the door of the cage. There Jollyman and two brother keepers met him. They beat back the infuriated beasts, and backing themselves, dragged him out, almost drenched in blood. When the door was shut-to again like a flash of lightning, a leopard whose paw had been nipped gave a hideous yell,

"Poor chap!" said Mrs Jollyman, who was helping the doctors in stanching the Lion King's flow of blood. "You're game, Jollyman, and so are Smith and Barney. You got him out well, Jollyman, but it was really little Jollyman Grimstone that saved him. I ran in as soon as I heard the row, and saw the whole of it."

CHAPTER III.

M. SOHIER REDIVIVUS.

M. SOHIER had been so sadly mangled by

the leopards that he was not able to

travel when Jollyman's left Ryecester. But he recovered at last, and joined the menagerie again, and he and little Jollyman were greater friends than ever. M. Sohier taught his godson French, and fencing, and circus-riding, but pooh-poohed more than ever his wish to become a Lion King. "No, no, my leetle godson; you see my eye. Dis von is glass. De eye of my native vas scratch out. You see my left hand-de scar. You see my whole body, if I take off my clothes-all full of scar; stripe like de tiger, spot like de leopard. Ah, ciel! vat have I endure ! But I am brave