Part 4 (1/2)
Eastland shrugged. ”Let's say that being attacked by a bad-tempered lion doesn't do anybody any good.”
Jim Hall's lips tightened. ”Now, hold on there. We still don't know for certain George did it.”
”Who else could do a job like that? Wait till you see-”
”I'm going to do that right now,” Jim Hall snapped. ”Just as soon as I lock George in the house.”
As he lowered the tail-board, a horn sounded. A, small old lorry came bouncing around the turn.
”It's Doc Dawson,” Mike Hall whispered to the boys.
The driver braked to a skidding halt and jumped out. He was tall and thin. Under his grizzled moustache jutted the stub of an unlit cigar. He hurried towards the group with long strides, carrying a black leather medical bag.
The visitor stopped as he saw the lion in the van. Ignoring Eastland, he addressed Jim Hail in a gruff voice. ”Got here as fast as I could, Jim, after Mike's call. What's that about George being hurt?”
”Flesh wound on his leg, Doc,” Jim answered. ”Somebody let George out while Mike and I were away. We rounded him up north of the bunkhouse.”
[image]
”It looks like somebody cut him with a knife or machete, Doc,” Mike Hall put in.
The angular vet turned to Mike, frowning. ”Who could have done that to old George? I'd better have a look. Hold him steady for me, will you, Jim?”
The vet leaned forward as Jim Hall held the lion's mane. ”Let's have a look, Georgie, boy,” the vet said softly.
He slipped off the handkerchief bandage and lifted the lion's leg. The animal whimpered.
”Come on, George,” the vet said. ”I won't hurt you. Been taking care of you since you were a baby.”
After a cursory glance, Dawson dropped the leg. ”Superficial cut, Jim, but nasty.
I'd better take him back to the dispensary for a better look. We don't want to risk an infection.”
”Right,” Jim Hall said. ”You're going with Doc Dawson, George,” he informed the lion, guiding him down the slanted tail-board.
As the vet started for his truck, the irate film producer stepped in his way. ”What's going on?” he bellowed. ”Where you taking that lion? We hired him for the movie. He starts work tomorrow morning at eight sharp.”
Doc Dawson stopped to light his stub of cigar and blew smoke in Eastland's face.
”That lion will be ready to work when I say he is. His leg may be better by tomorrow morning, and then again it may not. My job is to keep George healthy. I don't care two cents for your crummy movie. Now get out of my way, mister, or I'll walk right over you!”
Jupe and his companions quietly watched the drama. At the sudden vehemence in the vet's voice, Eastland paled and backed off. Dawson opened the rear door of his truck. Jim Hall brought George forward, patted the lion's flank, and raised his hand.
”Up you go, Georgie.”
Obediently, the lion leaped into the truck. Hall closed the door and Dawson drove off. The lion pressed against the open-mesh sides of the truck, looking sad, a whimpering sound in its throat.
Eastland stepped forward again. ”I'm telling you now, Hall, that lion better be ready,” he threatened. ”Now do you want to see what he did to Rock Randall, or not?”
Without a word, Jim Hall followed the film producer into his station wagon. He waved to Mike as the driver spun the long car around, calling as he caught Jupe's eye, ”Sorry, fellows-I'll see you later.”
Jupe watched thoughtfully until the station wagon disappeared into the jungle.
”That sounds like a bad scene, if it's true,” he said.
”If what's true?” Mike Hall snapped. ”My Uncle Jim's story or Mr. Eastland's?”
Jupe shrugged. ”I'm not disputing your uncle's word, Mike. But you have to admit he looked worried.”
”I'm sorry, Jupe,” Mike said, his voice breaking. ”I didn't mean to flare up at you.
But anything that concerns my uncle, concerns me, too. I-well, I'm living with him because my parents were killed in a car accident. He's my father's brother, and my only family now - except for Cal.”
”Cal?” asked Bob.
”Who's he?” Pete put in.
”Cal Hall is my other uncle. He's a big game hunter and explorer in Africa,” Mike explained. ”He sends Jim animals for Jungle Land. If Jim gets them young enough, like with George, he can train them easily. He puts the others on exhibit here and hopes to train them all some day. But it's a lot harder to do once they're full grown.”
”How come Jay Eastland acts so nasty?” Pete asked. ”What's he got against your Uncle Jim?”
”Nothing I know of,” Mike said. ”He's worried about his movie getting done on schedule. And before he leased Jungle Land, he wanted an agreement it would be safe working here, with the animals around. Jim guaranteed it would.”
”What happens if your uncle guessed wrong-and there's an accident?” Bob asked.
”Jim would lose a lot of money. He had to put up a bond of fifty thousand dollars as a guarantee. He signed over Jungle Land as security for the bond. So he could lose everything. He's losing money already because tourists aren't allowed in when we rent out for a movie. They might disrupt things.”
Jupiter listened carefully. ”I a.s.sume, though, that your uncle will make a considerable amount of money if the movie goes through on schedule, without any accidents. Correct?”
”Yes,” Mike admitted. ”I don't know the exact amount but it's so much a day.
And George gets paid five hundred dollars when he works. Trained animals are rented for a lot of money-just like movie stars.”
”Has George had any accidents before?” asked Jupe. ”Has he ever attacked anybody?”
”No,” Mike said. ”Never. He's a very gentle animal and well-trained. That is-”
he bit his lip ”-until lately, anyway. Recently he's been acting up.”
Bob, in charge of Records and Research, had his little memo book open. ”We still have no information about that,” he said. ”How has George been acting? What's he doing now that he didn't do before? Maybe that might give us a hint, Mike, about what's making him nervous.”
”Well, he's not himself. He's on edge. He stays in the house with us but lately he hasn't slept well. Almost every night, he's up and growling, walking around, trying to get out. Jim can't get him to go back to sleep, and he doesn't take orders as he used to. He's getting so hard to handle now I'm afraid he's not the good-natured, well-trained animal he used to be.”
”It could be something outside is exciting him,” Jupe said. ”Are any animals here allowed to roam loose at night?”
Mike shook his head. ”We have deer in a compound but they can't get out. We have horses that are used in a lot of Westerns. They're kept in a corral. We've got two elephants down by the lake but they're in their own compound, too, and stay there.