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Shaggo, The Mighty Buffalo (Version 2)

<h2 id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX SHAGGO MEETS DON</h2> Shaggo himself, in his circus cage, soon began to feel that something was wrong. It was not that he minded rolling along in his strange house on wheels, but this time he was not being drawn by horses as he had been at first. He could look out through the bars and see that no horses were hitched to his cage. They had been taken back into the circus barn. And yet Shaggo’s cage was rolling along. It was rolling downhill, and going faster and faster all the while. “Stop it! Somebody stop the buffalo’s cage!” cried the circus men, and several of them ran after it. But they were too far away, and Shaggo’s cage might have gone down the hill and been broken open on the rocks and trees at the bottom, only for what Tum Tum did. The jolly elephant saw that something was wrong, and, in a way, Tum Tum understood men’s talk. His trainer had taught him to stand on his head and lie down, and whenever he heard these words Tum Tum knew what to do.[83] So, when the big, jolly elephant heard the men shouting he knew something had happened. He looked toward the rolling cage, with the buffalo in it. By this time Shaggo was beginning to feel frightened. “If there’s a smash my sore shoulder will be hurt again! Ouch! I don’t want that to happen!” thought Shaggo. Then he bellowed out: “Somebody stop my cage from going to smash!” “I’ll save you! I’ll stop your cage!” cried Tum Tum. The big elephant ran down the little hill until he was in front of the buffalo’s cage. Even if he was almost as large as a small house, Tum Tum could run fast. It did not take him long to put himself in front of the rolling cage. Then with his big head lowered, Tum Tum stood still, and when the cage came along it bumped gently into the elephant and came to a stop. Shaggo was not shaken up at all. “Oh, look!” cried the circus men. “Tum Tum stopped the buffalo’s cage from going to smash.” “Yes, you can always depend on Tum Tum,” said the elephant’s keeper. “He’s a smart beast.” “Thank you, so much, Tum Tum,” said Shaggo, in animal talk, as he looked out through[84] the bars and saw what his new friend had done. “You saved my lame shoulder from being bumped.” “I’m glad I did,” replied the elephant. “Now keep still, Shaggo, and I’ll push your cage back up the hill where you’ll be all right.” Shaggo was a very strong and mighty buffalo, but as he looked at the immense head and legs of the elephant while Tum Tum pushed the wagon back up the hill, Shaggo thought: “Here is one who is mightier than I.” There were busy times for the next few days. The cage of Shaggo, as well as the cages of the other animals, together with the tents, the stoves, the band wagons, the steam calliope wagon and all the other things that go to make up a circus were loaded on railroad cars, and the circus started on its summer wanderings. By this time Shaggo was getting used to traveling on a railroad, and did not mind it much. In the same car with him was a cage in which a handsome black and yellow striped animal paced up and down. For some time this animal did not speak to Shaggo. He kept marching up and down in his cage, and, now and then, he would rise up on his hind legs and paw at the iron bars. “Excuse me,” said Shaggo, after a while, “but are you trying to get loose?” [85] “No. I know better than to try that,” was the answer. “I have been in my cage so long I am used to it now. But at times I wish I might go back to my jungle.” “I have heard Tum Tum and Mappo speak of the jungle,” said Shaggo. “You are neither an elephant nor a monkey. What are you?” “I am a tame tiger, and my name is Tamba,” was the reply. “I am glad to meet you,” said Shaggo, and he told his name. “I am a buffalo.” “Yes, I know you are,” said the tiger. “You did? How?” asked Shaggo in surprise. “I am the only buffalo in the circus, and—” “Oh, but I have seen buffaloes in the jungle,” said Tamba. “They are not exactly like you, and their horns are longer. We call them water buffaloes, but they are near enough like you so that I knew who you were. But you seem to have two humps; how is that?” “That swelling on my shoulder is not a hump,” answered Shaggo. “It is where I hurt myself when I leaped over the fence as I ran away from the range.” “Then you are a runaway!” exclaimed Tamba. “Yes,” answered Shaggo, somewhat sadly, for his shoulder hurt him more than ever. “I[86] thought I was such a mighty buffalo that the preserve, in the Park, was too small for me. I thought I was the strongest animal in the world—until I saw Tum Tum. He would make two of me.” “Yes, Tum Tum is the greatest of all animals,” said the tiger. “But, with all that, he is kind and gentle, and the jolliest friend you could ever have.” “I can easily believe that,” rumbled Shaggo. “Well, I ran away, and now I can not get back. I must make the best of it.” “Oh, you’ll like it here in the circus,” said Tamba. “We have good times after we get started, and it is fun to watch the people come and see us. Besides we do tricks. Do you know any?” “No,” Shaggo answered, “I don’t know any tricks.” “And I don’t believe you are the kind of animal they would teach tricks to,” said the tiger. “Never mind, you are good to look at, and very odd, with your two humps. I shouldn’t be surprised but what they would advertise you, and put you in a book.” “I know a little of what it means to be in a book,” said Shaggo. “I heard Tum Tum and Mappo speak of that. But what is ‘advertise’? That is a word I never heard before.” [87] “It means put your name and your picture on the billboards and on the posters that go up all over town when the circus is to show,” explained the tiger. “I’m on the pictures, and so is Nero and Tum Tum, and also Chunky, the happy hippo. He always has his picture taken with his mouth wide open.” “What for?” asked Shaggo. “Oh, it’s the biggest part of him; and I suppose he is rather proud of it,” answered Tamba. “It is my stripes that show best. You should see some of my latest pictures.” “I hope I may,” said Shaggo, politely. “And I hope I shall see yours,” went on Tamba. “Not all circus animals get their pictures on the posters, but I think you will. And now, if you will excuse me, I think I’ll go to sleep. We may have a long ride before our cages are taken off the train and put in the tents. Good-night.” “Good-night,” answered Shaggo, and then he saw the tame tiger curl up and go to sleep. Shaggo also closed his eyes, but he did not sleep at once. “I’m afraid I’m going to have trouble with that shoulder before it gets better,” thought the mighty buffalo, just before, at last, he finally dropped off into a sleep. When Shaggo awoke he found a great deal[88] of excitement going on around the circus train, which had come to a stop. There was the rumble of heavy wagons and the tramping of horses, mingled with the shouting and calling of men. “What’s the matter?” asked Shaggo of Tamba. “Oh,” answered the tiger, giving a yawn, “we have reached the first city in which the circus is to give a performance. Now we shall be put in a tent, and people will come to see us.” “What’s a tent?” asked Shaggo, who had never seen one. “It’s a sort of a white, cloth house,” the tiger answered. “You’ll like it. This sort of life is much more fun than being cooped up in the winter barns.” Pretty soon the cages of Tamba and Shaggo and the rest were taken from the railroad car and drawn to the circus grounds. A large crowd of boys and a number of men came to the place where the train stopped to see the circus unload, and, later, they watched the big tent being put up. Of this Shaggo saw very little, for his cage remained covered. At last, however, his wagon, and that of the other animals, was wheeled inside the big, white cloth house, and Shaggo found himself in a sort of[89] ring of which many other cages formed a part. “Now the circus will soon start, after we have been in the parade,” said Tamba. “What’s a parade?” asked Shaggo. “My! You don’t know anything about a circus, do you?” laughed Tamba. “A parade is where the animals march, or are drawn, through the streets so the people can see them—at least see some of them, and that makes them want to come and see more. The elephants, camels and horses march, but you will be kept in your cage, I think, as I am, and as Nero is also.” A little later the cages were hauled out again and, for the first time in his life, Shaggo took part in a circus parade. He looked out through the bars of his cage and saw crowds of people lining the streets. The bands played, the steam calliope tooted its queer music, and the wagon-load of clowns made the children laugh. Then, once more, back to the circus grounds the mighty buffalo was taken, and a little later the circus performance started. Of the part that went on in the main tent, where the acrobats did their tricks, the clowns cut up funny capers and Tum Tum and Tamba went through their acts, Shaggo saw nothing. The buffalo was kept in his cage, as were some of the other animals. It was their part in the[90] show to be looked at, and a great throng gathered around Shaggo’s cage. He stood and watched the people passing his cage. Once a man came along carrying a cane. Shaggo was standing still in one corner, for his shoulder hurt him. “Hi there!” called the man sharply. “Move about there, Buffalo, and let’s see what you look like!” As he said this the man poked Shaggo with the cane. He prodded the buffalo on his sore shoulder, and Shaggo let out a loud bellow of pain and jumped to one side. “Ha! I made him step lively!” cried this unkind man. A moment later a small, shaggy animal, with a pointed nose and bright shining eyes, leaped at the man, showed his teeth and growled. “Here! Let that buffalo alone!” Shaggo heard this new animal bark, and saw the man leap back in fright and run out of the tent. “Thank you for not letting him poke me again,” said Shaggo to this shaggy animal. “Are you a wolf?” “No, I am Don, and once I was a runaway dog,” was the answer. “I could see that this man was hurting you, so I drove him away. If he comes back I’ll nip him,” and Don growled again. The man who had poked Shaggo with the[91] cane, hurting the buffalo’s lame shoulder, did not come back, however. I think he was rather afraid of Don, who growled so fiercely. Don was a good and gentle dog, but he did not like bad men. <hr class="chap" /> [92] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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