“Guess I’ll have to wash my hands of him,” Collins told Johnny. “I know Del Mar1 must have been right when he said he was the limit, but I can’t get a clue to it.”
This followed upon a fight between Michael and Collins. Michael, more morose2 than ever, had become even crusty-tempered, and, scarcely with provocation3 at all, had attacked the man he hated, failing, as ever, to put his teeth into him, and receiving, in turn, a couple of smashing kicks under his jaw4.
“He’s like a gold-mine all right all right,” Collins meditated5, “but I’m hanged if I can crack it, and he’s getting grouchier every day. Look at him. What’d he want to jump me for? I wasn’t rough with him. He’s piling up a sour-ball that’ll make him fight a policeman some day.”
A few minutes later, one of his patrons, a tow-headed young man who was boarding and rehearsing three performing leopards6 at Cedarwild, was asking Collins for the loan of an Airedale.
“I’ve only got one left now,” he explained, “and I ain’t safe without two.”
“What’s happened to the other one?” the master-trainer queried8.
“Alphonso—that’s the big buck9 leopard7—got nasty this morning and settled his hash. I had to put him out of his misery10. He was gutted11 like a horse in the bull-ring. But he saved me all right. If it hadn’t been for him I’d have got a mauling. Alphonso gets these bad streaks12 just about every so often. That’s the second dog he’s killed for me.”
Collins shook his head.
“Haven’t got an Airedale,” he said, and just then his eyes chanced to fall on Michael. “Try out the Irish terrier,” he suggested. “They’re like the Airedale in disposition13. Pretty close cousins, at any rate.”
“I pin my faith on the Airedale when it comes to lion dogs,” the leopard man demurred14.
“So’s an Irish terrier a lion dog. Take that one there. Look at the size and weight of him. Also, take it from me, he’s all spunk15. He’ll stand up to anything. Try him out. I’ll lend him to you. If he makes good I’ll sell him to you cheap. An Irish terrier for a leopard dog will be a novelty.”
“If he gets fresh with them cats he’ll find his finish,” Johnny told Collins, as Michael was led away by the leopard man.
“Then, maybe, the stage will lose a star,” Collins answered, with a shrug16 of shoulders. “But I’ll have him off my chest anyway. When a dog gets a perpetual sour-ball like that he’s finished. Never can do a thing with them. I’ve had them on my hands before.”
* * * * *
And Michael went to make the acquaintance of Jack17, the surviving Airedale, and to do his daily turn with the leopards. In the big spotted18 cats he recognized the hereditary19 enemy, and, even before he was thrust into the cage, his neck was all a-prickle as the skin nervously20 tightened21 and the hair uprose stiff-ended. It was a nervous moment for all concerned, the introduction of a new dog into the cage. The tow-headed leopard man, who was billed on the boards as Raoul Castlemon and was called Ralph by his intimates, was already in the cage. The Airedale was with him, while outside stood several men armed with iron bars and long steel forks. These weapons, ready for immediate22 use, were thrust between the bars as a menace to the leopards who were, very much against their wills, to be made to perform.
They resented Michael’s intrusion on the instant, spitting, lashing23 their long tails, and crouching25 to spring. At the same instant the trainer spoke26 with sharp imperativeness27 and raised his whip, while the men on the outside lifted their irons and advanced them intimidatingly28 into the cage. And the leopards, bitter-wise of the taste of the iron, remained crouched29, although they still spat30 and whipped their tails angrily.
Michael was no coward. He did not slink behind the man for protection. On the other hand, he was too sensible to rush to attack such formidable creatures. What he did do, with bristling31 neck-hair, was to stalk stiff-leggedly across the cage, turn about with his face toward the danger, and stalk stiffly back, coming to a pause alongside of Jack, who gave him a good-natured sniff32 of greeting.
“He’s the stuff,” the trainer muttered in a curiously33 tense voice. “They don’t get his goat.”
The situation was deservedly tense, and Ralph developed it with cautious care, making no abrupt34 movements, his eyes playing everywhere over dogs and leopards and the men outside with the prods36 and bars. He made the savage37 cats come out of their crouch24 and separate from one another. At his word of command, Jack walked about among them. Michael, on his own initiative, followed. And, like Jack, he walked very stiffly on his guard and very circumspectly38.
One of them, Alphonso, spat suddenly at him. He did not startle, though his hair rippled39 erect40 and he bared his fangs41 in a silent snarl42. At the same moment the nearest iron bar was shoved in threateningly close to Alphonso, who shifted his yellow eyes from Michael to the bar and back again and did not strike out.
The first day was the hardest. After that the leopards accepted Michael as they accepted Jack. No love was lost on either side, nor were friendly overtures43 ever offered. Michael was quick to realize that it was the men and dogs against the cats and that the men and does must stand together. Each day he spent from an hour to two hours in the cage, watching the rehearsing, with nothing for him and Jack to do save stand vigilantly44 on guard. Sometimes, when the leopards seemed better natured, Ralph even encouraged the two dogs to lie down. But, on bad mornings, he saw to it that they were ever ready to spring in between him and any possible attack.
For the rest of the time Michael shared his large pen with Jack. They were well cared for, as were all animals at Cedarwild, receiving frequent scrubbings and being kept clean of vermin. For a dog only three years old, Jack was very sedate45. Either he had never learned to play or had already forgotten how. On the other hand, he was sweet-tempered and equable, and he did not resent the early shows of crustiness which Michael made. And Michael q............