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Show w wi wAdventurers i i Adventurers ' Club Club"Dajkjiess . juJIc/tI/ juJIc tI juJIctI"Darkness , / ' / "Dajkjiess Dajkjiess "Darkness Darkness " Dm klless cleans i11eans Means i11 eans Death " By FLOYD rLOYD I'LOYD ILOYD ' GIBBONS , , } famous Iamous amous Headline Headlmc HunterC HunterIRCUS Hunter Dunter HunterCIRCUS CIRCUS C CIRCUS IRCUS day . ' The hot , sun-baked sun baked - city of Phoenix Phoemx , Ariz , Anz ArIZ , v- v vis - is all agog . Christy Brothers ' big five-ring five ring five-rmg rmg - show is m in mtown intown mtown town . See the parade . Count the elephants Then climb chmb up upon upon upon on the board seats under the big top and watch the clowns clowns.See clownsSee . . See the performing performmg bears ; see the aerial gymnasts from fromHungary fromHungary fromHungary Hungary and the acrobatic tumblers from Japan . Hot dogsred dogsred dogs dogsred -red red - red lemonade-peanuts lemonade peanuts lemonade - peanuts five a bag . And above all , don't dont don'tmIss don'tmiss don'tmiss dontmiss ' mIss death-defyingfeat death defyingfeat deathdefymgfeat deathdefyingfeat Captain Captam Bob Bailie Baihe and . his dangerous , death-defymg death defymg death-defying defying - feat of bearding beardmg eight untamed unta.med African lions hons in theIr theIrcage theircage theircage cage . It's Its ' half an hour before show time bme , and here comes Joe Foley , one oneot oneof oneof ot of the aerial gymnasts from Hungary , . m in his spangled tights bghts , over to towhere towhere towhere where Captain Captam Bob is inspecting mspectmg the steel arena in m which he is to put puthIs puthis puthis hIs big cats through th their lr paces before longJoe longJoe long longJoe Joe wants to know kno\v kno v ' \ if he can string strmg his Ius trapeze over Captam Captain CaptamBob.s CaptainBob's CaptainBob's CaptainBobs Bob.s Bobs Bob's ' . arena for an act tliat that goes on later latcr in the show . Captam Captain CaptamBob CaptainBob CaptainBob Bob says S'1.ys S1.ys S1ys szys ' . it will be 0 K . with him , as long as Joe sees to It Itthat itthat itthat that his rigging rIggmg is pulled up out of his Ius way while he works his hiscats hiscats hiscats cats . Joe nods his head , but that isn't isnt ' the end of it . You'll Youll ' re- re remember remember re remember - member that trapeze later on in the story . Captain Boband Bob and His Ills Big Cats . And now we're were ' all ready for the big thrill thnll of the day-the day the day - the big e excitement ' ! : c ccitement cltement citement in which Capt Robert J BaiLe BallJe Bailie of Flushing rlushIng NY N Y , . earns him hIm- hImself himself himself - self the degree of Distinguished Adventurer to add to the other laurels laurelshe laurelshe laurelshe he has won in m a lifetime of daring darmg deeds m in the circus The show goes goeson goeson goeson on Strike Stnke up the band Blow the tbe "spec spec " ' and let's lets ' jump right mto into mtothe intothe intothe the middle of the main mam attractionThe attractionThe attraction attractionThe The big cats are in the open cage in m the middle of the steel arena arenaSO arenaSo arenaSo SO is Captain Captam Bob It s a hot day and cat animals ammals get lazy in 10 hot hotweather hotweather hotweather weather They don't dont ' want to work , andhen and \ when \hen hen ; Captain Captam Bob tries to tomake tomake tomake make them , they get sulky They're Theyre ' sulky now See how they snarl snarland snarland snarland and switch their thetr tails as Captain Captlln : Bob tries to herd them into mto their theirSultan 11 11i 11Sultan i Sultan Was Springing SprmglDg at Captain Capta10 Bob . corners Sulton-the Sulton the Sultan-the Sultan Sultan - the largest and ughest uglIest of them all-crouches all crouches all - crouches and andtnes andtries andtries tnes tries to spring sprmg Captain Captun : Bob pushes him back with his steel prod The Thets The"ats Theats ' " \\ts ts \ is are all in m their places now , but it's its It.S ' . going gomg to be a tough performanceThe performance performanceThe The act goes on . The cats paw at one onc another anothcr and balk at atthe atthe atthe the jumps The tension m in thit tb\t tb t thlt ' \ cage is terrific . No'V- No'V NoV Now- Now No'Vlook Nowlook Now ' - look lookquick , qUick ! Sultan has kicked over his pedestal . He's Hes ' SPRINGING SPRINGINGAT SPRINGINGAT AT CAPTAIN BOB , and his deep throated , ominous ommous snarl shows showstbat showsthat showsthat tbat that he means business buslDess . Captain Captam Bob knows what's whats ' coming commg . He Hewhips Hewhips Hewhips whips up his long , sharp , metal tipped Upped prod-gets prod gets prod - gets it between betweenhlmselt betweenhimself betweenhimself hlmselt himself and the lion llon hon . He checks the leap Sultan is back bach . on his hishaunches hishaunches hishaunches haunches , ripping nppmg at the prod with both forepaws , trying tr)1Og tr1Og tiring ) to get getpast getpast getpast past it and at Captain Captam Bob . All Right If He Kept on His Feet . Let's Lets ' go inside mSlde the cage with Captain Captam Bob and see how he's hes ' feelmg feeling feelmgabout feelingabout feelingabout about all this He's Hes ' keeping keepmg his head-he head he head - he knows he'll hell ' be all aU right as as10ng aslong aslong 10ng long as he can stay on his lus feet , and provided none of ot the other cats jomin Jom Jomm joinin m in the fray . Luckily , the other cats are still keeping keepmg their distance- distance distancemlllmg distancemilling distance distancemilling - - milling mlllmg back and forth at the other side of the cage , growling m in sullen sullenrage sullenrage sullenrage rage If It they'll theyll ' only keep away another mmute-I mmute I minute-if minute if minute - if ! only Captain Captam Bob Bobcan Bobcan Bobcan can KEEP HIS FEET-he'll FEET he'll hell FEET - he'll hell ' get the situation sltuatlon back in m hand again agam . It begins begms to look as if I ! he's hes ' going gomg to do it , too Sultan is getting gettmg bred tired bredot tiredof tiredof ot of trying trymg to chew oft off the iron tip bp of ot the prod Slowly , Cap Captain tam Bob's Bobs Bob'ssnappmg Bob'ssnapping Bob'ssnapping Bobssnapping ' snappmg snapping whip is forcing forcmg him hun back on the pedestal . He raises hIs hIswhIp hiswhip hiswhip whIp again agam A feeling of satisfaction satlsZactlon satisaction : wells up m in Captain Captam Bob's Bobs ' chest chest.He's chest.Hes chestHes . . He's Hes ' licked that cat again agam . He snaps the whip whipLord whipLord Lord ! What was that ? Somethingr SomethlDg Something has ripped across Captain CaptainRob's CaptainBob's CaptainBob's CaptainBobs Rob's Robs Bob's Bobs ' eyes-both eyes both eyes - both of them . He's Hes ' blinded blmded by agonizing agonlZ1Og pain . spots spotsdance Spotsdance Spotsdance dance before them-THEN them THEN them - THEN BLACKNESS . The whip dros dro " ) is s to the thefloor thefloor thefloor floor as he covers bis his face with Wlth his hand band . What was it ? He Be feels feelsno feelsno feelsno no blood-no blood no blood - no torn flesh . It couldn't couldnt ' have been the lions . They Theywere Theywere Theywere were too far away . But-no But no But - - no time to speculate .pecwate pecwate : . now ! No tune to toYield toyield toyield Yield to the unbearable pains that arc are shooting shoohng across bis hIS eyes eyesSnap ! Snap out of it . , Captain Bob Bpb , you're youre ' m in a fine fix . . Your whip is isgone Isgone iscone gone . Your prod is hanging hangmg useless in your band hand . At the \ Mercy l\Iercy l Iercy of Eight Lions . YOU'RE YOURE ' ABSOLUTELY BLIND , IN AN ARENA WITH EIGHT EIGHTUGLY EIGHTUGLY EIGHTUGLY UGLY LIONS , AND ONE OF THEM JUST WAITING FOR A CHANCE CHANCETO CHANCETO CHANCETO TO NAIL YOU ! Sultan's Sultans ' growls bring brmg him rom back to his senses Blind though he IS ishis , ros his mind mmd pictures Sultan getting gettlOg ready to spring sprlOg He holds the prod up upill upin upm ill in front of him-reaches him reaches him - reaches for his revolver . It's Its ' loaded with blanks blanksbut , but the hons lIons are afraid ol of it it . . He starts firing firlOg slowly on either side of ofhIm ofhim ofhim hIm . That will keep them away for tor a minute mmutc , but six shots is all he has . Captam Captain Bob starts backing backlOg toward the side slde of the cage . It's Its ' the thebest thebest thebest best he can do Bunded BlInded , be he can't cant ' find end the door . His H1s eyes still feel teel as asthough asthough asthough though a red hot iron tron has been drawn across them . He fires his ros last lastshotand lastshotand lastshot shot-and shot and - and waits walts to be torn tom to pieces Outside he hears the shouts of ofthe ofthe ofthe the cage men-the men the men - the rasp of a gate being belOg pulled up . He feels something somethingrub somethingrub somethingrub rub against agamst bis hIs side and strikes out at it 1t with bis ros his prod . The thing is as hard ; it 1t gives out a wooden sound He hears one of the cage men yelling to tohim tohim tohim him to stay as be he is Then be he realizes what's whats ' happening happemng . Two ot of hIs hIsmen hismen hismen men have gotten behind him rom . They're Theyre ' sliding prods through the bars to tokeep tokeep tokeep keep the cats away . Other men are runnmc runn10g running the cats out of ot the arrna ar"oa aroa arena " . There's Theres There"s ' " a astir astir astir stir in the scats seats . Spectators who have been boldinff holl11Og holding their breath breathare breathare breathare are letting it out now in a big , ripplingsigh rSppline rippling- rippling - sigh of relief . Someone Someonehelps Someonehelps Someonehelps helps Captain Bob out of the cage-into cage into caffo ge--mto ge mto - - into a car-ofJ car ofJ car-off off car - - oil to the hospital hospital.Half hospitalHalf . Halt Half an hour later he be can see aga n , although his eyes still hurt hurtl1ke hurtWee hurtlike l1ke Wee the devil devll when be he opens them . One of ot the cage men tells him what happened appened . It was Joe Foley's Foleys FoIey's FoIeys Foley'strapeze FoIey'strapeze Foley'strapeze Foleystrapeze ' trapeze . It had slipped down on its rIggmg-Just rIggmg Just rigging-lust rigging lust rigging - just low enough to be m in mthe inthe mthe the way of the whip when Captain Captam Bob cr en en eked cked it it . . It sent the whip lash lashbouncIng lashbouncing lashbouncing bouncIng back , right rJght .nto nto into . * nto Captain Captam Bob's Bobs ' eyes "It It .It " . all aU happened a long longtune longtime longtune tune time ago , " says Captam Captain Bob , "but but " I still remember-too remember too remember - too clearly-how clearly how clearlyhowIt clearly - bowit It feels fcels to find yourself suddenly blind in a cage with a bunch ot of pretty prettytough prettytough prettytough tough catsWNU catsWNU cats catsWNU . " -WNU WNU @ - -WNU WNU - Service Serviee - |