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Acclimated by years of confinement in the zoological gardens, they were fitted to

resume in England the wild existence for which nature had intended them, and

once free, had evidently bred prolifically, in marked contrast to the captive exotics

of twentieth century Pan-America, which had gradually become fewer until

extinction occurred some time during the twenty-first century.

The palace, if such it was, lay not far from the banks of the Thames. The room in

which we were imprisoned overlooked the river, and I determined to attempt to

escape in this direction.

To descend through the palace was out of the question, but outside we could

discover no lions. The stems of the ivy which clambered upward past the window

of the room were as large around as my arm. I knew that they would support our

weight, and as we could gain nothing by remaining longer in the palace, I decided

to descend by way of the ivy and follow along down the river in the direction of

the launch.

Naturally I was much handicapped by the presence of the girl. But I could not

abandon her, though I had no idea what I should do with her after rejoining my

companions. That she would prove a burden and an embarrassment I was

certain, but she had made it equally plain to me that she would never return to

her people to mate with Buckingham.

I owed my life to her, and, all other considerations aside, that was sufficient

demand upon my gratitude and my honor to necessitate my suffering every

inconvenience in her service. Too, she was queen of England. But, by far the

most potent argument in her favor, she was a woman in distress--and a young

and very beautiful one.

And so, though I wished a thousand times that she was back in her camp, I never

let her guess it, but did all that lay within my power to serve and protect her. I

thank God now that I did so.

With the lions still padding back and forth beyond the closed door, Victory and I

crossed the room to one of the windows. I had outlined my plan to her, and she

had assured me that she could descend the ivy without assistance. In fact, she

smiled a trifle at my question.

Swinging myself outward, I began the descent, and had come to within a few feet

of the ground, being just opposite a narrow window, when I was startled by a

savage growl almost in my ear, and then a great taloned paw darted from the

aperture to seize me, and I saw the snarling face of a lion within the embrasure.

The Lost Continent