Part 13 (1/2)
”Well,” said Nero to himself, ”I guess I'll look around this jungle and see if I can find any breakfast. I'm hungry, and that nice trainer man isn't here to give me anything to eat. I'll have to hunt for it myself, as I used to do when I was at home. We'll see what kind of jungle this is.”
Nero soon found that it was quite different from the jungle in Africa.
The trees were not so big, nor were there so many of them, and the vines and bushes were not so tangled. It was not quite so hot, either, though this was the middle of summer, and there were not as many birds as Nero was used to seeing in his home jungle. Nor were there any monkeys swinging by their tails from the trees. It was quite a different jungle altogether, but Nero liked it better than his circus cage.
”Now for something to eat!” said Nero, when he had finished stretching.
He stepped from the little cave out into the bright suns.h.i.+ne, and looked around. He wanted to make sure there were no men near by who might catch him and take him back to that queer house on wheels, with iron bars all around it. Nero saw nothing to make him go back into his cave.
Up in the trees the robins and the sparrows sang and chirped, but if they saw the tawny, yellow lion moving about, like a big cat, they paid no attention. They did not seem to mind Nero at all.
And, pretty soon, Nero found something to eat in the woods. He had not forgotten how to hunt, as he had done in the jungle, though it was rather a long time ago.
Then Nero sniffed and sniffed until he found a spring of water, at which he took a good drink.
”Well, now that I have had something to eat and something to drink I feel much better,” said Nero to himself. ”I must have some fun.”
So he looked about, wondering what he would do. It was a sort of vacation for him, you see, as he did not have to do any of his circus tricks.
”Let's see, now,” thought Nero. ”I wonder--”
And then, all of a sudden, the lion heard a rustling noise over in the bushes at one side. He gave a jump, just as your cat does when something startles her. Nero wanted to be on the watch for any one who might be trying to catch him or trap him.
Then Nero saw a small black animal walk slowly out from under a big bush. The animal was something like a little tiger, except that she was plain black instead of being striped yellow and black. At first Nero was much surprised.
”h.e.l.lo, there!” called the lion, in animal talk, which is the same all over the world. ”h.e.l.lo there! Who are you and where are you going?”
”Oh, I'm Blackie, a cat,” was the answer. ”Once I was a lost cat, but I'm not that way any longer. Who are you, if I may ask?”
CHAPTER XII
NERO AND THE TRAMP
Nero, the circus lion, gave himself a big shake. His mane, or big fringe of hair around his neck, stood out like the fur on your cat's back when a dog chases her, and then Nero roared. Oh, such a loud roar as he gave!
The ground shook.
”There! Now do you know who I am?” asked Nero.
Blackie, the cat who was once lost, seemed quite surprised at the way Nero acted. She looked at the lion and said:
”Well, I'm sure I don't know why in the world you are making so much noise. I just asked what your name was, and there you go acting as though you were a part of a thunderstorm. What's it all about, anyhow?”
”I was just telling you my name,” said Nero, a little ashamed of himself for having made such a racket. ”I'm a circus lion. At least I used to be in a circus, but I ran away last night, when my cage rolled downhill and broke.”
”Oh, a circus lion!” mewed Blackie. ”Why, I know some folks in a circus. There was Dido, a dancing bear, and--”
”Why, I know him too!” roared Nero, in delight. ”He's in the same circus I came from!”
”You don't tell me!” exclaimed Blackie. ”And then I knew Tum Tum, a jolly elephant, and--”
”Well, say now, isn't that queer?” laughed Nero--at least he laughed as much as a lion ever laughs. ”Why, Tum Tum is in my circus, too! We are great friends. And once a dog named Don came to the show, but he did not stay very long.”