perceive the leopard, for the wooden shutters of the two windows
prevented their being of much service.

Even with the roof's holes, the room was dark. The rents in the roof
were much too far above Timokles to help him to escape; however, and
he reflected that if the roof. had been lower, the place would
hardly have been chosen for the confinement of a wild beast, the
present height of the walls preventing the escape of the leopard, as
well as that of any Christian.

The leopard stirred again!

"He wakes!" thought Timokles, summoning his courage for that waking.

But the great cat only moved his head to a somewhat more comfortable
position, and continued to sleep.

Timokles repassed slowly and silently so much of the walls as was
accessible to him. The wall next to the sleeping beast could not be
safely examined, yet Timokles, looking through the gloom, noted from
his distance no more promising signs than were exhibited by the
other three sides of the room. Most of all did he linger about the
spot where, it seemed to him, he had entered, and more than once as
he touched the surface of the wall, seeking for some hidden spring,
he thought he heard behind him the leopard's soft footsteps, but,
turning hastily, found himself mistaken.

At length, in his search, Timokles slightly stumbled over some lumps
of mud that had fallen from the roof. The crunching sound partly
aroused the leopard. With a long-drawn sigh, the drowsy creature