Here they were, ten days' march from the coast, unarmed, and quite defenseless against a lion.
Presently the lion appeared, his cruel, hungry eyes gleaming through the night.

They were frozen with horror, as slowly, slowly, slowly the great animal crept toward them with his tail sibilantly lashing above his back.

They were now thoroughly alarmed and realized to the utmost that the lion's intentions were open to grave suspicion.

Breathlessly they waited, or perhaps they tried to climb trees, but being chained together they could not climb more than one tree.

And there was not a single tree big enough to hold more than nine of them.