Part 33 (2/2)

A scream of terror went up from the whole mult.i.tude, filled with broken e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns. ”Murder!” ”Don't!” ”Let me out!” ”Stop him!” and everybody rushed in the wildest confusion a second time for the door.

The keeper laid down his pole, and calmed the crowd.

The exercises connected with the lion now closed. Turtle took advantage of the interregnum to make an inquiry of his own. He had in his possession the flaming poster that had so long hung at the Eagle, and amused and astonished the Puddlefordians, and slowly unfolding it, he caught the eye of the keeper, as he held it out at full length, and wished to know where ”all the monkeys were that were put on to that 'ere bill?”

The keeper pointed to the monkeys' cage, where the three were, still chewing nuts and crackers, and chattering and bobbing from one side to the other.

”Je-hos-a-phat!” exclaimed Turtle, ”them _ar'_ ain't these 'ere monkeys--there ain't but three on 'em, nuther, and they ain't climbing trees, as these are--Je-hos-a-phat!--are _them_ your monkeys, Mr. Keeper?”

The keeper said ”he would explain. They were the same monkeys that the gentleman found on the bill; the same monkeys in different att.i.tudes. That monkey, for instance, ladies and gentlemen,” continued the keeper, pointing his stick at a gray-bearded one in the cage, who was just then intently at work pulling a sliver out of his foot, ”that monkey is represented four or five times on the bill in different forms, ladies and gentlemen; jumping here, and climbing there, ladies and gentlemen; and in other places performing those wonderful and curious feats that the monkey only _can_ perform. Will the gentleman show the bill for the benefit of all? (Ike held up the bill over his head.) Now, ladies and gentlemen, look at the bill, and then look at the monkey. These bills are printed for the instruction of the people; it gives them a knowledge of natural history. That monkey can do anything that we have represented on our bill; or, rather, monkeys in their native woods do all these things; but the woods we cannot carry around with us, ladies and gentlemen; and so we give it to you on our bills. (Hold the bill a little higher, if you please, sir.) There you see the monkey as he is--next thing to a man, ladies and gentlemen. Study the monkey; he's an as-_ton_-is.h.i.+ng animal; very different from the lion there; wherever we go, the _mon_-keys are admired. Any more questions, ladies and gentlemen?”

Turtle said ”he b'lieved he shouldn't ask any more questions.”

Bigelow Van Slyck had not yet seen ”that wonderful animal mentioned in Holy Writ, and now known as the Ichneumon.” He had walked the whole caravan over and over a dozen times, but the Ichneumon was nowhere to be seen.

He inquired, at last, of the keeper, ”where he kept his Ichneumon.”

”Certainly,” answered the keeper in the most amiable manner possible, leading the way to a little cage on the ground, where he had an animal housed about the size of a small dog.

”There,” exclaimed the keeper, ”is the sacred quadruped now known as the Ichneumon.”

Bigelow ran his hands into his breeches-pockets and looked down very reverently upon the little fellow.

”Spoken of in Holy Writ?” repeated Bigelow.

”Often,” said the keeper.

”Old Testament, probably,” said Bigelow.

”Most probably,” replied the keeper.

Bigelow took another long look.

”And he's alive, too,” said Bigelow, drawing a long breath.

”But it costs a great deal of money,” answered the keeper, ”to preserve his life--most _expensive_ animal we have--bathe him in salt water three times a day.”

”Mi-_rac_-ulous!” said Bigelow.

”Treat him very tenderly,” continued the keeper; ”liable to lose him any moment; cost a great sum; but we don't mind that--it is our business--we _will_ satisfy the public.”

Bigelow introduced Mrs. Bird, Mrs. Swipes, and Mrs. Longbow to the Ichneumon, who did not happen to be present and hear the keeper's remarks, and repeated in low breath the information which he had just derived, with suitable and appropriate remarks of his own. For his part, he said, he was paid. He had seen the sacred animal called the Ichneumon; and he managed to weave him into a sermon which he preached some weeks afterwards, in which he identified him as clearly as he did when inspecting the poster at the Eagle.

Jim Buzzard was present during all the exercises. He crawled in under the canvas at rather a late hour, but appeared in time to see all that was to be seen. He made very few comments upon the animals. He took a very long look at the elephant, who seemed to just strike his fancy. Jim was a picture, and so was the elephant. As he stood in rags gaping at the monster, it seemed as if he was magnetized to the ground. He examined him up and down, looked under him, and over him, and at last, after having digested all there was about him, he scratched his head and said, ”O, Gos.h.!.+”

But all things must have an end, and the grand caravan, in time, came to its end. The last performance, which was intended as the climax to the whole day's proceedings, and which had been looked forward to by the Puddlefordians with the most enthusiastic feeling, was the ”ostrich and monkey ride.” The poster had painted this affair in s.h.i.+ning colors, and it was finally announced by the keeper, amid a tempest of applause. It is not in my power to describe this ride. The monkey rode the ostrich, as promised, carrying a whip in his hand--and then the monkey took another round on the ostrich, carrying something else--and then again and again, each time under renewed and stronger vociferations from the mult.i.tude, until I really began to think that the monkey and ostrich were certain to transport the crowd into hysterics, and cover themselves with immortal glory.

When the afternoon shadows began to lengthen over the green, the tent, which had so recently gone up by magic, as suddenly dissolved, and the people dissolved too. The show was over, and there were scores of people who were twenty or thirty miles from home, jaded and nearly out of money.

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