Hurrah for the Circus! Read online

  She stood and waited, hoping that nothing would happen to Jimmy.

  “If I tell Mrs. Brown, Jimmy would never forgive me,” thought Lotta. “And it’s no use asking him not to go in, for he’d laugh at me. I know what I’ll do! I’ll go to Fric, and tell him I know all about this, and I’ll say that if he lets Jimmy have the keys of the tigers’ cage again, I’ll tell Mr. Galliano! He won’t dare to after that! And I’ll say that if he dares to tell Jimmy that I know, I’ll tell his uncle.”

  Jimmy was making friends with the other tigers. The big travelling-box echoed with the sound of happy purring, as all the tigers pawed at Jimmy to make him play with them, or came to him with heads down, rubbing against his side and legs.

  Jimmy put both his arms round Basuka, the biggest tiger of all. “You are a magnificent fellow, Basuka!” he said, in his low voice. “I could make you do anything! But I never would, for you are too grand to do silly little tricks.”

  Jimmy spent an hour in the tigers’ cages, and then slipped out, happy and excited. The tigers were far more his friends than they were either Roma’s or Fric’s! He loved them and they loved him. Jimmy felt Queenie’s warm breath on his face as he locked the inner gate. The big tiger did not want him to go. She wanted this queer, understanding boy to stay with her.

  Lotta slipped like a shadow back to her caravan and was in her bunk, pretending to be asleep, when Jimmy came back.

  She lay awake a long time, afraid that if she did not stop Jimmy going into the tigers’ cages he would one night be badly hurt.

  So the next day, when Jimmy was helping Tonks to water Jumbo the elephant, Lotta hunted out Fric. The boy scowled at her, for he did not like girls.

  “I want to speak to you, Fric,” said Lotta.

  “Well, I don’t want to speak to you,” said Fric rudely, and he turned his back.

  “Look here, Fric,” said Lotta desperately. “If you let Jimmy go into the tigers’ cages again, I’ll tell Mr. Galliano, so there!”

  Fric spun round in a trice and glared at the little girl. “What do you know about it?” he demanded.

  “Never mind,” said Lotta. “But I’m not going to have Jimmy hurt by those tigers of yours, just because you’re greedy for ice-creams and give him the keys each night in return for things like that! So just you look out, you horrid boy!”

  Fric rushed at Lotta and slapped her so hard that she cried out. Stanley the clown saw them fighting and he came up.

  “Stop it, Fric,” he said sternly. “Lotta, go back to your caravan.” So, before anything else could be said, the two were separated, and Lotta went sobbing back to her caravan, glad that nobody was there to see her.

  But she was not there long before Jimmy came rushing up with news.

  “Lotta! Lilliput is ill! He’s eaten something bad, and he’s got a dreadful pain. I’m going for the doctor. Look after Jemima for him, will you?”

  Jimmy rushed off, and Lotta ran to Lilliput’s caravan. She was very fond of the little man and his four monkeys. Jemima was his pet, and was just like a mischievous child.

  Lilliput was lying on his bunk inside his caravan, very white indeed. Jemima was sitting at the head of the bed, looking doleful, for she could not understand what was wrong with her master.

  “Are you ill, Lilliput?” said Lotta kindly. “Jimmy’s gone for the doctor. Does Mr. Galliano know?”

  Lilliput nodded feebly. At that moment heavy feet came up the steps at the back of the caravan, and Mr. Galliano put his head in.

  “You cannot go in the ring tonight, Lilliput—no?” he said kindly. “You will be better soon—yes?”

  Lilliput nodded. “I would like Lotta to take care of Jemima for a day or two,” he said. “It’s not good for her to be in here with me when I’m ill.”

  “You will do so, Lotta—yes!” said Mr. Galliano. The little girl picked up the small monkey and cuddled her.

  “Yes,” she said. “I’d love to look after her. She is fond of me and will be quite happy. I’ll send Mrs. Brown to see to you, Lilliput.”

  She slipped down the steps with Jemima curled round her neck like a fur, the monkey’s tiny fingers holding on to her hair.

  Lotta ran to tell Mrs. Brown, who had just come back from shopping, and Mrs. Brown at once hurried to Lilliput’s caravan to see what she could do.

  Mr. Galliano arranged for Mr. Wally to take Lilliput’s monkeys into the ring that night, for he was just as good with monkeys as with chimpanzees, and he knew exactly what to do with them.

  Lotta was to care for Jemima till Lilliput was better, and only when the circus was on each night was Jemima to leave the little girl, and go into the ring with the other three monkeys to do her funny tricks.

  Fric saw Lotta in the distance with something round her neck, and he wondered what it was. He went nearer to see. “Why, she’s got Lilliput’s Jemima!” he said, and he wondered why.

  He soon found out, and then the unkind boy made up his mind to punish Lotta for what she had said to him earlier that day!

  “I’ll get Jemima from her!” he thought. “And I’ll hide the monkey somewhere where she can’t find it. That will give her a shock! That will teach her to come and say she’ll tell Mr. Galliano about me!”

  He could not get Jemima that day, for Lotta was near her own caravan. Nor could he tell Jimmy what Lotta had said, for the little boy was busy the whole day long. He passed Fric once, and whispered to him: “Shan’t want the keys tonight, Fric. I’ll have them again tomorrow. I’m tired today, with two late nights.”

  Fric nodded, and had no time to say anything more. “Wish I could get my chance to get Jemima away from Lotta!” he thought.

  His chance came the next day. And Fric took it, though afterwards he very much wished that he hadn’t.

  OH, POOR LITTLE JEMIMA!

  LILLIPUT was a little better the next day, but he would not be able to go into the ring for four days, the doctor said. So Lotta was to have Jemima, his best-loved monkey, till he was well. The little girl was delighted, for Jemima was very sweet and loving.

  Mrs. Brown was not quite so delighted, for Jemima was the most mischievous monkey in the world! When Mrs. Brown scolded her for taking down all the cups from the shelf and hiding them under the pillows, Jemima picked up some potatoes and threw them very quickly at the astonished Mrs. Brown.

  Lotta stopped her at once, and laughed till the tears came into her eyes. Jemima jumped on to the little girl’s shoulder and nibbled her ear gently. That was one of her ways of loving any one.

  “Where’s Jimmy?” asked Lotta. But Mrs. Brown didn’t know. Lotta wondered whether he was near the tigers’ cage, so off she went, with Jemima curled round her neck, chattering nonsense into her ear.

  Jimmy was not there. Lotta stood watching the great tigers, the side of whose cage was open, so that they could get the warm spring sun. And it was just then that Fric saw Lotta and Jemima, and made up his mind to take the monkey from Lotta and hide her somewhere so that the little girl would not know where to find her!

  The boy crept quietly up behind Lotta. Jemima heard him and turned her head, chattering angrily, for she did not like Fric. Fric caught hold of her and dragged the monkey off Lotta’s shoulder. The little girl screamed and turned round.

  She saw Fric running away, holding the screaming monkey.

  “Fric! Fric! Give me back Jemima!” cried the little girl. “You wicked boy!”

  But Fric only laughed. “I’ll teach you to order me about!” he yelled. But just then Jemima bit his hand as hard as she could with her sharp monkey-teeth and the boy shouted in pain. The monkey took her chance and struggled free. Frightened out of her life, she scampered round the tigers’ cage, followed by Fric, who was roaring angrily.

  The tigers pricked up their ears, and Queenie growled. No tiger likes disturbance and noise. Jemima scampered round again, with Fric after her. “Come to me, Jemima, come to me!” called Lotta. But the monkey was too afraid to pay any attention to Lotta.

/>   And then a dreadful thing happened! Fric almost caught the monkey, and in fright the little thing ran up the bars of the tigers’ cage and dropped inside!

  “Oh! Oh!” wailed Lotta. “They’ll kill Jemima! They’ll kill her!”

  Fric stopped, frightened. Jemima ran to the back of Queenie’s cage. Queenie growled. Scared, Jemima ran up the dividing bars between Queenie’s cage and the next. The big tigers watched her. All of them were upset now, for the shouting and running and squealing had made them restless and angry.

  “Jemima, oh, Jemima, do come here to me,” sobbed poor Lotta. “Fric, make your tigers lie down.”

  But Fric could not do anything with the tigers when they were angry. He just stood and stared, with his face suddenly rather pale.

  He knew that Jemima was a valuable monkey and that Lilliput loved her as if she were a child.

  Jemima ran about Queenie’s cage, scared. She did not dare come out whilst Fric stood outside. All the tigers were up now, and were pacing their cages, their tails swinging and their big heads down. Round and round they went, round and round, sniffing the strange monkey-smell of Jemima, disturbed and angry.

  Then Queenie roared, and poor Jemima fell in fright from her place half-way up the cage-bars. In a trice Queenie put out a great paw and struck at the little monkey as she fell. Jemima tumbled with a little thud to the floor of the cage, and lay there, her brown monkey-eyes closed. She did not move.

  Poor Lotta was almost mad with despair. She rubbed the tears from her cheeks and looked round for help. “Jemima will be eaten!” she wailed. “Oh, where’s Roma? He must go into Queenie’s cage and save Jemima before the tigers do anything else to her.”

  Mr. Galliano came up, frowning, wondering what all the fuss was about.

  “Mr. Galliano, look, look, poor little Jemima is in Queenie’s cage, and Ruby is there too, and they’ve hurt her and will eat her if we don’t save her!” cried the little girl. “Get Roma, oh, please, get Roma as quickly as you can, Mr. Galliano!”

  Mr. Galliano saw what was happening at once. He cracked his big whip like a pistol-shot, three times. This was the signal for everyone to come to him at once. From every caravan and cage, from the stables and from all corners of the field, men and women came running.

  “Roma!” shouted Galliano. “Where’s Roma?”

  “Here!” shouted the big, powerful tiger-tamer, and he rushed up. “What’s wrong?”

  “Lilliput’s monkey is in your cage,” said Mr. Galliano. “Go in and get her out before the tigers eat her.”

  Roma looked at the angry tigers, pacing their cages, snarling and growling. He looked at Queenie, who was standing over the still monkey, sniffing at her.

  “Go on in,” commanded Mr. Galliano. “You aren’t afraid, surely!”

  “Don’t you go in, Uncle!” shouted Fric suddenly. “You know what Queenie is when she’s in a temper! She’ll spring at you!”

  “I can’t go in, Mr. Galliano,” said Roma. “If it was any other tiger but Queenie, I would, but Queenie’s not to be trusted.”

  Just then someone staggered up—it was Lilliput, who, hearing the three cracks of Galliano’s whip, had hurriedly dragged on a dressing-gown and somehow got down his caravan steps, and come to see what was the matter. When he saw his beloved monkey, Jemima, lying quite still inside the tigers’ cage, he gave a loud yell.

  “Jemima! My little Jemima!” he cried. “Get her out! Roma, Fric, go and get her out! What are you waiting for? Do you want to see her eaten?”

  “No one can go in whilst Queenie is like that,” said Roma sullenly.

  Lilliput gazed at his much-loved monkey, and the tears ran down his white cheeks. He tied his dressing-gown girdle firmly round him and turned to Roma.

  “Give me the keys,” he commanded. “I’ll go in! I’ll get Jemima. I don’t care twopence for your tigers!” Roma shook his head, but Lilliput made a dart at him and snatched the keys from Roma’s belt.

  He ran like lightning to the door of the cage. But Galliano was there like lightning too! He pulled the little man back firmly.

  “No,” he said, “no, Lilliput. Your monkey may be dear to you, yes, but you also are dear to us! We cannot have you giving yourself to the tigers, no. Go back to your caravan, yes, and we will do what we can.”

  Lilliput fought against Galliano, but he was small and the ring-master was big.

  Whilst this was going on there came the sound of pattering footsteps and panting breath, and up ran Jimmy. He had been taking Lucky for a walk and had only just come back. When he saw the crowd around the tigers’ cage he knew something was wrong, and he had run to find out.

  “What’s up?” he cried, and then he saw Jemima, lying quite still, with Queenie standing over her, growling and snarling.

  “Oh, Jimmy, Roma won’t go in, he’s afraid,” cried Lotta. “What can we do?”

  “Do!” cried Jimmy at once. “Why, I’ll go in of course! Roma, where are the keys?”

  Every one fell silent when they heard Jimmy’s clear voice shouting that he would go into the cage. Galliano turned and smiled.

  “No, Jimmy,” he said. “You may be good with dogs and chimps and elephants, but with tigers, no! You will not go in!”

  “Mr. Galliano, sir,” cried Jimmy, “didn’t I go and rescue Jumbo when he got lost in the storm? Didn’t I find Sammy the chimpanzee when he ran away, and bring him back? Well, let me save Jemima! I’m not afraid of the tigers. They are all friends of mine.”

  Then Lotta spoke. “Jimmy has already been in the tigers’ cage,” she said. “They love him.”

  Roma stared in amazement and anger. Galliano pursed up his thick lips and looked at Jimmy. “You are a queer boy, yes!” he said. “I do not know whether to let you or not.”

  “Queenie! Queenie!” suddenly said Jimmy, turning to the big tiger. “What a noise to make! I don’t like it! Come now, come!”

  When the big tiger heard the clear, low voice she loved, she raised her head and sniffed. She pressed her head against the strong bars and Jimmy pulled her whiskers gently. The great tiger purred.

  “It is enough,” said Galliano. “You may go in, Jimmy—but get the hoses out first, Oona and Stanley, and be ready to turn on the water at first sign of danger!”

  Oona and Stanley hurried to get the hose-pipes. Hosing tigers and lions with water when they became fierce was often a harmless way of making them docile and tame once more.

  Mr. Galliano arranged for the water to be turned on should the tigers growl at Jimmy when he was in the cage. Then the boy could slip out in safety whilst the tigers were scared of the water.

  “Lotta, get a net on a long handle,” ordered Jimmy, taking the keys from Lilliput, who was still sobbing. “I’ll get Queenie and Ruby to the back of the cage, and you must gently put the net over Jemima and pull her quietly out between the bars.”

  “Good idea, yes!” said Mr. Galliano, watching the tigers closely.

  The hoses were brought up and pointed at the cage in case they should be needed. Jimmy unlocked the first cage-door, shut it, and unlocked the second. He walked into the tigers’ cage and looked at the two green-eyed, angry animals, whose tails were swinging slowly to and fro like a restless cat’s.

  “Queenie!” said Jimmy softly, standing where he was, and not making any more movement. “Queenie! Ruby! Lovely things, aren’t you! Do you want to be rubbed? Do you want to be tickled?”

  Queenie looked at the boy and purred. Ruby growled softly. Jimmy went on talking. “Come, Queenie! You must come to me. Come here. Come close. Ruby, come here. Come and smell me. I am your friend, Jimmy.”

  Jimmy spoke to the tigers without stopping, always in that low, gentle voice of his that all animals seemed to love. Queenie sniffed at Jemima, and then looked at Jimmy.

  “Come, Queenie, come, come,” said Jimmy, and still he made no movement.

  Every one stood watching in silence. Would Jimmy really be able to save poor little Jemima?

  MR. G
ALLIANO IS ANGRY

  JIMMY still stood at the back of the tigers’ cage. He did not even stretch out his hand, but his gentle voice went on and on, talking to the two tigers whilst they watched him.

  “Don’t you want your head to be rubbed, Queenie? Don’t you want your ears stroked, Ruby? Then come to me.”

  All the other tigers in the farther cages had stopped pacing round and round as soon as they heard Queenie purring. Basuka, hearing Jimmy’s voice, began to purr too. All the tigers gradually became quieter. And still Jimmy’s low voice went on and on and on. It seemed to Lotta that it had some sort of magic in it. Everyone had to listen. Everyone seemed to feel that they too wanted to go to Jimmy and be stroked! It was very strange.

  Queenie suddenly went over to Jimmy and pressed her great head lovingly against the little boy, almost knocking him over. She purred so loudly that even Basuka’s purr could not be heard!

  Jimmy put out his hand and rubbed Queenie’s great head. Ruby turned her back on the watching people and stared unwinkingly at the small boy.

  This was Lotta’s chance. Cautiously the little girl lifted the long-handled net that Oona had found and pushed into her hand. Slowly, without a sound, the net was held closer and closer to the cage. It was pushed through the bars—it was placed gently over the still monkey!

  Then gently the little girl pulled the net back, and Jemima came with it! Ruby turned just as the monkey was drawn out of the cage. Lotta twisted the net round quickly so that Jemima did not fall out, and in a trice Jemima was in Lilliput’s arms and he was rocking her like a baby.

  Ruby was startled. She roared, and Galliano called to Jimmy.

  “Out, boy! Out quickly!”

  But Jimmy laughed. He went up to the roaring tiger and looked her in the eyes. He put his arm round her neck and pressed his face against her furry cheek. The great tiger purred happily, and suddenly rolled over on to her back to be tickled like a cat!

  “He could do anything with those tigers of mine!” muttered Roma to himself. “I would like that boy. He is far, far better than Fric! Those tigers would clean his boots for him if he told them to. What a boy that is!”