They started on a run across an open lot, then turning into the street above, saw the torches flaring by the roadside half a block away. Jerking the lights up the lads ran back to the street they had previously left.
"Where shall we look?"
"We might as well begin right here, Teddy. I can"t help believing that Wallace is somewhere in the town. I don"t believe, for a minute, that he would run off into the country.
If he has he"ll be back in a very short time. You remember what I tell you. If we can get track of him we"ll follow and send word back to the lot so they can come and get him."
"Why not catch him ourselves?"
"I don"t think we two boys had better try that. I am afraid it would prove too much for us."
"I"ve got a tent stake. I"m not afraid. Why didn"t you bring a club?"
"I have the ringmaster"s whip. I prefer that to a club when it comes to meeting a wild lion. h.e.l.lo, up there!" called Phil, discovering two men looking out of a window above him.
"h.e.l.lo yourself. You fellows belong to the circus?"
"Yes. Have you seen anything of a lion around this part of the town?"
"A tall fellow about my size, with blue eyes and blonde hair,"
added Teddy.
"Stop your fooling, Teddy."
"A lion?"
"Yes."
"Only one?"
"That"s all," replied Phil a bit impatiently. "Have you seen him?"
"Why, we heard the whole menagerie had escaped."
"That is a mistake. Only one animal got away--the lion."
"No; we haven"t seen him, but we heard him a little while ago."
"Where, where?" questioned the boy eagerly.
"Heard him roar, and it sounded as if he was off in that direction."
"O, thank you, thank you," answered Phil.
"Say, are you in the show did you say?" now catching sight of Phil"s tights under the bright moonlight.
"Yes."
"What do you do?"
"I am in the big trapeze act, the flying rings and a few other little things."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Well, you"ll have to excuse us. We must be going."
"You boys are not going out after that lion alone, are you?"
"Yes, of course."
"Great Caesar! What do you think of that? Wait a minute; we"ll get our guns and join you."
"Please, I would rather you would not. We don"t want to kill the lion, you see."
"Don"t want to kill him?" questioned the man in amazement.
"Certainly not. We want to capture him. If the town"s people will simply stay in their homes, and not bother us, we shall get him before morning and no one will be the worse for his escape.
Wallace is worth a few thousand dollars, I suppose you are aware.
Come along, Teddy."
Leaving the two men to utter exclamations of amazement, the lads started off in the direction indicated by the others.
"What did I tell you, Teddy? That lion is in the town at this very minute. He"s probably eating up someone"s fresh meat by this time. Hold your torch down and keep watch of the street.
You keep that side and I"ll watch this. We will each take half of the road."
The Circus Boys had been around the animals of the menagerie for nearly three years now, it will be remembered, and they had wholly lost that fear that most people outside the circus feel for the savage beasts of the jungle. They thought little more of this lion hunt, so far as the danger was concerned, than if they had been chasing a runaway circus horse or tame elephant.
All at once Teddy Tucker uttered an exclamation.
"What is it?"
"I"ve landed the gentleman."
"You sure?"
"Yes; here are his tracks."
"That"s so; you have. Don"t lose them now. We"ll run him down yet. Won"t Mr. Sparling be pleased?"
"I reckon he will. But we have got to catch the cat first before we can please anybody. I wonder how we"re going to do it?"
"We shall see about that later."
The boys started on a trot, holding their torches close to the ground. Their course took them about on another street leading at right angles to the one they had been following.
All at once they seemed to have lost the trail. Before them stood a handsome house, set well back in a green lawn. The house was lighted up, and evidently some kind of an entertainment was going on within.
"He"s gone over in some of these yards," breathed Phil.
"Let"s take the place that"s lighted up, first. He"d be more likely to go where there is life. He--"