Part 16 (2/2)

”'Ere, 'ere,” cried the man, ”'ere, 'ere, Bravo! Not too rotten That's first rate monkey business, take it from Ivo Hobbs. Let me interdoose myself. Mr. Mahdi. Ivo Hobbs, late o' Kitts and Killjammer's Whole World Show.”

Nickie walked along the back wall of his cage two or three times with simian ungainliness, turning with a peculiar spring that Mr. Crips had learned from the Orang.

”Good enough!” said. Ivo Hobbs. ”Good enough. There's no ticks on you, you're a stoodent, I can see. How's the game mate?”

It was necessary to convince this beery intruder of his grievous error in taking Professor Thunder' celebrated Missing Link, Mahdi, from the tangled jungles of Darkest Africa, for a cheap fake. Nickie sprang to the perch with great agility, caught it with one hand, slowly drew up a leg, hooked a hind claw to the bar and hung so, blinking unconcernedly.

”What oh!” said the audience, with enthusiasm.

”That's a bit of all right. You're a husker. But there ain't no reason for this reticence with a brother professional. I was the bearded woman with Kitts and Kiljammer's show for over two years, I was Shake, mate.”

The visitor thrust a hand through the bars.

Nickie dropped from his swing, landing lightly on four paws, ambled daintily across the cage, ran up the bars, and seated himself on a limb propped in a corner.

The audience applauded generously.

”Bli' me,” he cried, ”you're a fool t' waste them talents on a side show like this. You orter hitch on at one o' the great circuses.”

Nickie slid down the rope and resumed his leisurely scratching, prospected his ribs for a few seconds, and then made a sudden dash at Ammona, the orang, grappled with him through the bars, s.n.a.t.c.hed away a little fur, and maintained a fierce scratching and snapping squabble for half a minute or so.

This was one of Nickie's most effective bits of business. Whenever he heard an audience casting doubts on his authenticity as a genuine member of the monkey family, he work up a spluttering dispute with Ammonia and the battle was so realistic that it dispelled all doubts.

”Well I'm jiggered.” murmured Mr. Ivo Hobbs. ”I could have sworn he was a fake.” He pressed more closely to the bars, and peered at Nickie with a critical, if somewhat beery eye, and the Missing Link posed languidly in a monkey att.i.tude. Suddenly Ivo jabbed at him with a stick. The stick was pointed, and it took Nickie in the ear.

”h.e.l.l!” cried the Missing Link, bounding across his cage.

Ivo burst into a roar of laughter. ”That's all right, old bloke,” he said. ”You're a bonzer, but we all have our weak moments.”

Nickie was furious. This a.s.sault, combined with the heat and burden of the day, had dispelled his natural apathy. There was always a loose bar in the front of his cage, placed there for effect, so that the Missing Link might work up an occasional sensation by an apparent attempt to break away. Nickie dashed at this bar. It broke before him, and he came through, falling bodily on Ivo Hobbs, and bearing him to the ground. Ivo uttered a yell of apprehension. His beery doubts seemed to fly before this animal attack, and when he realised that he was being bitten and clawed mercilessly, he howled for help at the top of his voice.

Professor Thunder rushed from his slumber, and discovered his Missing Link and a total stranger rolling and tumbling on the ground. By this time Nickie had inflicted no little grievous bodily harm upon the unhappy Ivo, and he allowed Thunder and the Living Skeleton to drag him off, and thrust him back into the cage.

Ivo arose in great wrath.

”This is unprovoked a.s.sault and battery,” he cried, shaking his fist at the Missing Link. ”I'll have the law on you.”

”But, my dear sir,” protested the Professor, ”you must have provoked the poor animal.”

”Animal be blowed. You can't jolly me. Think I don't know a fake when I see one, I'll have him run in in half a tick.”

Professor Thunder endeavoured to argue with Ivo, and hinted at compensation, but the injured man fled from the tent in a state of blind anger.

”Let him go.” said the Missing Link, vindictively. ”He won't come back, He's had all the damages he wants.”

But he did come back. Ivo returned in a quarter of an hour and he brought a policeman with him, and on their heels came quite a crowd, Professor Thunder, with business-like precision, charged a s.h.i.+lling a head to all seeking' admission.

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