Tired from his flight and filled
to satiety, 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 growl, 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 tact. 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
denizens of the jungle.
Pages:
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55