FROM his hiding-place in the big box, Billy could look into the section of the tent where the performances were now going on, could see the clown in his outlandish dress, hear the shouts of laughter that followed his remarks, observe the bare-back riding, and watch the trapeze performers.
He had just about made up his mind that it was safe for him to start out again when he overheard some talking near at hand that caused him not only to pause, but to shrink into the smallest space he could in the darkest corner of his hiding-place.
“What are you looking for, Mike?” he heard someone say in a deep voice.
“That big goat,” was the reply. “Did you see Jumbo put him on his back? He’s a beauty. When I saw him make that flying leap among the freaks, it popped into my head that we ought to annex him to this show. He’ll sure make an attraction.”
“Do you know I thought the very same thing, and I have been looking for him too. It seems to me that he must be hidden in some of this rubbish. Have you looked in this big box?” and Mike kicked with his foot Billy’s hiding-place.
“No, I will in just a minute. But say, before we go any further let’s settle it that whether you or I find the goat, we will own him equally between us. If we decide to sell him, we’ll share and share alike.”
“I’m agreed to that. It’s my guess that it will take the two of us to handle and train him. I never saw such a jump in my born days as he made off that elephant’s back. He must be as strong as an ox. We’ll have to starve him down a bit, probably, before he will be manageable.”
“Yes, that’s right. Hurry up now and see what’s in that box. The old man will be calling us in a minute.”
“I’ll have to go right now,” thought Billy, “for I won’t be captured by that precious pair of scamps if I can possibly help it. As like as not they would want to put me in a cage, and I haven’t forgotten what that means if the stories of the wolf and the lion can be believed. It’s awfully unlucky, though, for now I am here there are a whole lot of things I want to see. The only thing for me to do is the minute one of them stoops down to look into this box, to jump at him with all my might, knock him flat, and make a bee line just as fast as I can go for the entrance. It’s good-bye Circus for me,” sighed Billy, and he prepared for the attack.
For once in this eventful day luck was with him. Just as the man called Mike was coming around—Billy could hear him—where he could look in at him, someone called and both his pursuers started on the double quick to get back to their posts, one saying to the other that they would try it again a little later.
“Saved again!” Billy would have shouted had he dared to make any noise, but he didn’t.
“I must get out of here now as quick as ever I can for they will be back in a few minutes. When I am mixed up in the crowd, the chances are that they will not find me. Even if they do I will be in no worse fix than if caught in this old box. One thing sure, no man will ever grab me by the horns again like Farmer Grant did. With my head free I am not so easy to catch and hold.”
With this he crept out of his place of concealment and was soon on the other side of the tent, gazing with all his might at the many strange animals which the different cages contained.
He stopped to talk with a number of them, but their stories were all more or less like those of the wolf and the lion. Every one of them told Billy that he would be glad to exchange places with him, and not a few warned him to take care and on no account let any of the keepers capture him. Whatever else you do, they all agreed, keep out of this show for it’s slavery of the very worst kind.
The royal Bengal tiger, who told Billy that his home was in the jungles of India, made him feel more thankful than any of the others that he was free and could go and come when and where he pleased. The things which the tiger said were something awful, and the savage way he said them made his listener tremble from head to foot. He felt a special spite, it seemed, against a keeper named Mike, whom he said he would eat alive without a grain of salt if ever he got hold of him.
Billy was sure from the name that this Mike was one of the two men who had come so near finding him, and he was more glad than before that he had escaped when he learned what a cruel master he was.
It would be very interesting to describe all the animals Billy Whiskers saw and tell their stories, but it would take too long and doubtless the readers of Billy Whiskers’ life and adventures know about them already. If not, they can all be found in the Natural History books in the library.
The bears, probably, interested Billy as much, if not more, than any of the rest. They were very good-natured, especially the young ones, and seemed very glad to make his acquaintance.
Billy, who by this time was beginning to be very hungry indeed, told them how hollow he was, and they said that they would soon fix him up all right. With that Teddy B. and Teddy G. both began to push good things to eat through the bars of their cage that fell to the ground where Billy could get at them. There were apples, cakes, peanuts and other rich food which people had thrown to the bears in great abundance.
The crowd of on-lookers when they saw the Teddy Bears feeding the goat thought it a great joke and laughed at the comical sight. Billy could hear them saying that they guessed that he was the same goat the big elephant had put on his back; others were telling their friends how he had jumped at the fat lady, and then someone said that he believed that his name must be Billy Whiskers for he had heard a couple of fine-looking boys inquiring for a runaway goat by that name. And so it came to pass that many people were beginning to talk about him, and he felt that he already had good friends in the crowd.
While it made him proud to hear his little masters called fine-looking, for he never doubted but that the two boys searching for him were Tom and Harry Treat, at the same time it put him on his guard, for after going through so much to see the Circus, he didn’t propose to be stopped yet awhile.
If he had only known what was in store for him later, he would have been glad enough to quit then and there.
“I’ll just take a look at the monkeys and then go in and watch the performers,” resolved Billy. “It won’t do not to have a good look at them, for ever since old Mr. Coon told me his story I have been most anxious to see what monkeys look like. I expect they are dreadful or the remembrance of them could not affect a tough old sinner like the Coon as it does.”
The monkeys’ cage was very large, and was fitted up with all sorts of contrivances for exercise. There were a dozen or more monkeys of all sorts and sizes in it, and they were always one of the greatest attractions of the whole show and the crowds of people in front of it were enormous.
Billy had no difficulty in locating it and was very soon watching the antics of the monkeys with interest. He decided that they were the strangest looking animals and about the most ugly he had ever seen, but he couldn’t make up his mind why it was the Coon had seemed to hate them so much and at the same time to be so afraid of them.
He would learn pretty soon.
Like everybody else, Billy soon found himself laughing with all his might at the funny things the monkeys were doing. They never seemed to stop for a minute, and around and around they went, always cutting up some new caper, doing something that nobody expected.
“The looks of that old blue-nosed Mandrill is surely enough to make a dog laugh,” said giggling Billy, using his favorite expression.
Just about this time, two or three of the monkeys spied Billy looking and laughing.
“It’s that goat,” said one, “who made such a smash-up in the freak depot when he jumped off the elephant’s back. I haven’t laughed so hard in a month of Sundays. I wonder if we can’t make his acquaintance. I think anybody who can tip over that fat lady is worth knowing. Ask him, Colonel Mandrill, to come up closer where we can talk to him.”
And so Colonel Mandrill did as he was requested and politely invited Billy to draw near.
At first Billy was shy, but he could see no possible danger, and the whole group looked so good-natured and jolly that with only a moment’s delay he stepped quite close to the door of the cage where the space between the wires was a little greater than elsewhere.
The monkeys began by asking all about who he was, where he came from, scarcely giving him any chance to reply. Then they told him, all talking at once, how pleased they were that he had made such a confusion among the freaks and how tickled they had been to see the fat lady, who it seems never had a pleasant word for any of them, going through the floor.
They began now in whispers to ask Billy if he could not get them out of their cage and to tell him how everlasting sick they were of being shut up.
Billy drew nearer so that he could hear better and just started explaining how impossible it was for him to do anything for them when, without warning and as quick as a flash, the old blue-faced Mandrill monkey or baboon reached out a long gray arm and grabbed Billy firmly by his proud whiskers.
“You’ll either get us out of here or we’ll pull you in,” said he.