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Dido, the Dancing Bear: His Many Adventures

<h2>CHAPTER XII DIDO IN A FIRE</h2> “What else did you do besides meeting Don?” asked Tum Tum, when the dancing bear had finished telling about the runaway dog. “Oh, many things happened to me,” said Dido. “I had many adventures, as many, I think, as would fill a book.” “Who knows?” asked Tum Tum. “Perhaps they will be put in a book. I never thought my adventures would be printed, but they were. Just you wait.” So Dido waited, and while he waited the circus went on from place to place. People came into the big tent to look at the animals, and watch those who, like Dido, did tricks. Very often Dido’s new master would think up a different trick for Dido to do, and the bear was very anxious to please. There was one trick Dido learned to do which he did not like at all, at first. This was jumping through a big wooden ring which had little jets of fire all around it. At least Dido thought it[110] was fire, for the jets glowed brightly, though they were not hot. At first when his master brought out this glowing, blazing hoop, or ring, Dido shrank away from it. But his master stood on the other side of it, holding out an apple and a bun. Dido wanted both, very much, but when he walked around the outside of the hoop, instead of leaping through it to get the treat, his master put them away. “No, no, Dido,” he said. “To get the apple and bun you must jump through the hoop. Come on. It won’t hurt you. You know I would never do anything to hurt you.” So, after a bit, Dido did jump through the blazing hoop to get the apple, and he found he was not hurt in the least, nor burned. And, later on, he learned that around the hoop were only tiny electric lights, like those which are sometimes put on Christmas trees in place of candles, and these lights you can hold in your hand without feeling any heat. So Dido learned a new trick, and when he did it the people in the circus tent clapped their hands loudly. By this time Dido had learned that this meant they were pleased with him. The people also clapped when Tum Tum did his tricks, and one day Tum Tum and Dido performed a trick together. They had to practice[111] it a long while, though, before it was well done. And this was the trick: On the broad, strong back of the jolly elephant was built a platform of boards. It was square, and made so it could be lifted on and off, being fastened on by broad straps, as are the little houses on the elephants’ backs in circus parades. By means of a little ladder Dido and his new master could climb up to this platform on Tum Tum’s back, and there, as the big elephant marched around the ring, Dido did his dance, while the man played on the same horn that Tom had used. Around and around on the platform up on the back of Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, rode Dido and his master. Dido did such a funny dance that he made the children laugh. “You are a very good bear,” said his master, patting him and giving him two buns, one extra. Dido did many other tricks in the circus as it went from place to place. But now the weather was getting cooler. “We shall soon go to our Winter quarters,” said Tum Tum. “And then for some time we will stay in the same place, night after night.” “Oh, I don’t mind traveling,” spoke Dido. “I rather like it.” One day, as Dido was asleep in his cage after having done his tricks, he heard a noise near the[112] edge of the tent. It was a mewing, crying sort of noise, and, the first thing Dido knew, something small and black scrambled into his cage and hid down among the straw. “Hello there!” called Dido, in animal language. “Who are you?” “Oh, I’m Blackie,” was the answer. “Please don’t drive me out.” “Of course I won’t drive you out,” said Dido kindly. “But who are you, and why is your name Blackie?” “I am a cat, and I am called Blackie because I am black,” was the answer, and then a cat stuck her head out from under the straw in Dido’s cage, where he always went to rest after having done his tricks. “What is the matter with you?” asked Dido. “You seem frightened.” “I am frightened,” said Blackie. “A lot of bad boys were chasing me and throwing stones at me. I ran as fast as I could, but they nearly caught me. But I saw this big white house and I ran in it. Then I saw a place to hide under the straw in your cage-wagon, and I jumped up here.” “And you are very welcome,” said Dido kindly. “I am glad you got away from the boys. But this is not a white house, though I thought it was myself, at first.” [113] “What is it?” asked Blackie. “It is a circus tent. If you like you may stay and see me do my tricks.” “Thank you, I would like to stay,” spoke Blackie, “but you see I am trying to find my way home. I am lost.” “Lost!” exclaimed Dido. “That’s what happened to Don, the runaway dog. He knows Tum Tum, our jolly elephant.” “Was Don lost?” asked Blackie. “Yes, but he found his home again.” “I hope I do,” said Blackie. “I used to live with a very nice little boy and girl, who treated me kindly, and gave me warm milk for breakfast. One day I strayed too far off, went in a vacant house and was locked in. I found my way to the roof and, later, met a good lady who cared for me. She took me out to the country in a basket, but when the cover came loose I jumped out, thinking I could find my way back home alone. But I can’t seem to, and I’ve walked ever and ever so far. Then these boys chased me and I ran in here.” “Well, I wish I could help you, but I can’t leave the circus,” said Dido. “Here is a bit of fish I didn’t need; you may have that, and perhaps you will feel better after eating.” Blackie did. She thanked Dido very much and went to sleep in the straw of the bear’s cage.[114] One of the animal men saw her and gave her some milk to drink. “Can’t you really stay and see me do some tricks?” asked Dido. “No, thank you,” spoke Blackie. “I’ll just peep out of this tent, as you call it, and if the boys are gone I’ll trot along. Maybe I shall find my home to-day.” Blackie looked out under the tent. She saw no boys. “Good-by!” called the lost cat to Dido. “I’m going away.” “I hope you find your home, and that I see you again,” said Dido. “Good-by!” In a few more weeks the weather grew quite cool, and one day the big circus tent was taken down for the last time, the cages were put on the cars, and the circus started on a long journey. “Where are we going?” asked Dido of Tum Tum. “To the big barns I told you about,” answered the jolly elephant. “We are going into winter quarters.” And, a few days later, there is where Dido found himself. He was still kept in his cage, which was in a big barn with many other cages of animals. There were horses and elephants in the barn, Tum Tum being there, of course. Dido did not have to do his tricks every day[115] now. But once a week or so his master came to put him through them, to see that the bear had not forgotten how to dance, or turn somersaults. It was nice and warm in the big circus barn, and the animals had enough to eat, so they had a very good time of it. “Still I liked traveling about the country with George and Tom,” said Dido. “It was real jolly sleeping out of doors, except when it rained. And I like going about with the circus, too.” “Oh, you will be able to go about again,” said Tum Tum. “When warm weather comes we shall travel once more.” But something happened which nearly stopped all the circus animals from ever traveling about the country again. One night Dido was awakened in his cage by a queer smell. And there was a funny feeling in his nose and throat as if he wanted to sneeze. Dido stood up in his cage and looked across the barn. He saw smoke, and he knew what smoke was, for he had often seen Tom and George make a fire in the woods to boil coffee. And Dido saw fire with the smoke. Then he knew what the queer smell was that had made him want to sneeze. It was the smoke in his nose. The fire grew brighter and the smoke thicker. Dido stood close to the bars of his cage and called[116] to Tum Tum, who was asleep standing up, as elephants often do. “Tum Tum!” called Dido in animal talk, “the circus barn is on fire! The barn is on fire! What shall we do?” Tum Tum awoke with a start. He looked at the fire, which was in one end of the barn, farthest off from the animal cages. “Oh, my! A fire!” cried Tum Tum. “That is terrible! We must get out somehow!” “That is easy for you to do,” cried Dido, “for you are not in a cage. But what shall I do?” “We must call to the circus men to come and let you caged animals out,” said Tum Tum. “I’ll call,” and he made a loud trumpet noise. “They had better hurry,” said Dido. “The fire is growing hotter. Once my masters made a fire in the woods, and it spread in the dry leaves so they had to get water and put it out. Oh, Tum Tum, can’t you let me out of my cage?” “Yes,” said Tum Tum, “I will. I can open many animal cages with my trunk.” Tum Tum was a trick elephant and could do many things. He soon had opened the cage of the dancing bear, and Dido could jump out. By this time the other animals were much excited by the fire. Some of them broke out of their cages by themselves. Others Tum Tum let out, helped by Dido. [117] <div id="i_p117" class="figcenter" style="width: 378px;"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_p117.jpg" width-obs="378" height-obs="600" alt="" title="" /> <div class="caption">He soon had opened the cage of the dancing bear and Dido jumped out.</div> </div> [118] “But we must get out of the burning circus barn,” Dido said. “To be out of our cages will do us no good unless we get out of the barn, too.” Tum Tum, and the other elephants and other animals, ran around the inside of the circus barn, looking for an open door. But there was none. All the doors and windows were tightly fastened to keep out the cold. By this time men could be heard outside shouting about the fire. Dido ran up to one door. This led outside, as he knew, for he had come in and out of it several times. “Tum Tum!” called the dancing bear, “if we could break open this door we could get out and let the other animals out too. Let us try to break down the door.” “All right!” cried Tum Tum. “I will bang it with my strong head. Look out! Here I come!” Tum Tum backed up a little way. Then he ran at the door and struck it with his head. At first it would not open. But when Tum Tum struck it again and again, and when Dido hit on it with his powerful paws, the door began to splinter and crack. “Good!” cried the other animals. “Dido and Tum Tum will now let us out of the burning barn!” Dido and Tum Tum banged on the door.[119] With his paws Dido pulled away the splinters and pieces of wood that Tum Tum broke off with his head. Soon there was room for all the animals to go out. “Come on!” cried Tum Tum. And he and Dido let all the other animals run out first and then they went out. And it was high time, too, for the barn was blazing very hot and fast now. Then men came up with hoses to squirt water on the fire, while other men drove the animals to another barn where they could stay for a while. “All the animals saved!” cried the head circus man when the fire was out. “That’s fine! I wonder how they got out of the barn.” “Oh, Dido and Tum Tum let them out,” said one of the trainers. “I saw the elephant and bear break down the door.” Then the circus folk, as well as the animals, loved Dido and Tum Tum more than ever. Soon the burned barn was built over new, and it was better than before. Dido stayed in it all winter and when spring came again he and Tum Tum started out with the circus show again. I wish I had space to tell you other adventures of Dido, the dancing bear, but this book is quite filled, as you may see. And Dido did finally[120] get into a book, didn’t he? I hope he likes what I have written about him, if he ever sees it. But if I can not tell you any more about Dido I can about Blackie, the cat who hid in the bear’s cage. So the next book will be named “Blackie, a Lost Cat: Her Many Adventures.” And I hope you will like what I have to write about her. “Tum Tum,” said Dido one day as he was dancing on the platform on the elephant’s back, “do you remember the fire?” “I should say I did,” answered Tum Tum. “I never want to see another.” “Nor do I,” spoke Dido, as he whirled about while his circus master tooted a gay tune on the brass horn. Then Dido turned somersaults in the circus ring, jumped through the lighted hoop and did many other tricks. And now let us all say: “Good-by, Dido!” THE END <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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