Below him Numa leaped also.
Among the Maniacs
As the lions swarmed over her protectors, Bertha Kircher shrank
back in the cave in a momentary paralysis of fright super-induced,
perhaps, by the long days of terrific nerve strain which she had
undergone.
Mingled with the roars of the lions had been the voices of men,
and presently out of the confusion and turmoil she felt the near
presence of a human being, and then hands reached forth and seized
her. It was dark and she could see but little, nor any sign of the
English officer or the ape-man. The man who seized her kept the
lions from her with what appeared to be a stout spear, the haft of
which he used to beat off the beasts. The fellow dragged her from
the cavern the while he shouted what appeared to be commands and
warnings to the lions.
Once out upon the light sands of the bottom of the gorge objects
became more distinguishable, and then she saw that there were
other men in the party and that two half led and half carried the
stumbling figure of a third, whom she guessed must be Smith-Oldwick.
For a time the lions made frenzied efforts to reach the two captives
but always the men with them succeeded in beating them off. The
fellows seemed utterly unafraid of the great beasts leaping and
snarling about them, handling them much the same as one might handle
a pack of obstreperous dogs.
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