CHAPTER XIX
TEDDY DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF
"The boss has an awful grouch on."
"Yes; I wonder what's the matter with him," pondered the clown.
His brother fun-maker shrugged his shoulders.
"Guess he's mad because of young Forrest's accident. Just got agood act started when he had to go and spoil it."
Not a hint of the suspicion entertained by the owner and hiselephant trainer had been breathed about the show. Nearly a weekhad passed since Phil's narrow escape from death; yet, despiteall the efforts of Kennedy or the shrewd observation of hisemployer, they were no nearer a solution of the mystery thanbefore. The days passed, and with them the anger of JamesSparling increased.
"That chum of Forrest's is a funny fellow," continued the firstspeaker. "He'd make a good clown?"
"Make? He's one already. Look at him."
Teddy was perched on the back of Jumbo, the trick mule of theshow, out in the paddock, where the performers were indulging invarious strange antics for the purpose of limbering themselves upprior to entering the ring for their acts.
The bright, warm sunlight was streaming down, picking up littleflames from the glistening spangles sprinkled over the costumesof many of the circus folks.
Teddy and Jumbo had become fast friends--a strangely assortedpair, and whenever the opportunity presented itself Teddy wouldmount the ugly looking mule, riding him about the paddock or thering when there was nothing going on under the big top. Everytime the pair made their appearance it was the signal for a shoutof merriment from the performers.
Teddy had perched himself on Jumbo's back while the mule wasawaiting his turn to enter the ring, which he did alone,performing his act with nothing save the crack of theringmaster's whip to guide him.
Somebody had jammed a clown's cap on Teddy's head, while someoneelse had hit it a smash with the flat of his hand, until the peakof the cap lopped over to one side disconsolately.
Teddy's face wore an appreciative grin, Jumbo's long ears lyingas far back on his head as they would reach. To the ordinaryobserver it might have been supposed that the mule was angryabout something. On the contrary, it was his way of showing hispleasure. When a pan of oats was thrust before Jumbo, or hechanced upon a patch of fresh, tender grass, the ears expressedthe animal's satisfaction.
Jumbo could do pretty much everything except talk, butoccasionally the stubbornness of his kind took possession of him.At such times the trick mule was wont to do the most erraticthings.
"How'd you like to ride him in?" chuckled Miaco, who stoodregarding the lad with a broad smile.
"If I had a saddle I wouldn't mind it," grinned Teddy's funnyface as an accompaniment to his words.
Jumbo's equipment consisted of a cinch girth and a pair of bridlereins connected with a headstall. There was no bit, but theeffect was to arch his neck like that of a proud stallion.
"You'd make the hit of your life if you did," laughed Miaco."Wonder the boss don't have you do it."
"Would if he knew about it," spoke up a performer. "The reallyfunny things don't get into the ring in a circus, unless byaccident."
In the meantime the ringmaster was making his loud-voicedannouncement out under the big top.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he roared, after a loud crack of hislong-lashed whip, to attract the attention of the people to him,"we are now about to introduce the wonderful performing muleJumbo, the only broncho-bucking, bobtailed mule in the world.You will notice that he performs without a rider, without humaninterference. Please do not speak to Jumbo while he is goingthrough his act. Ladies and gentlemen, Jumbo, the great educatedmule, will now make his appearance unaided by human hand."
The audience applauded the announcement.
At that moment the band struck up the tune by which Jumbo alwaysmade his entrance. At the first blare of the brass a fun-lovingclown jabbed Jumbo with a pin. The mule did the rest.
"Here! Here! Get off that mule!" shouted the animal's trainer."He's going on!"
"Let him go!" roared clowns and other performers.
Jumbo had never made as quick a start in all his circus career ashe did that day. He fairly leaped into the air, though only oneman understood the reason for the mule's sudden move.
With a bray that was heard all over the big top Jumbo burstthrough the red curtains like a tornado. There he paused for onebrief instant, as if uncertain whether to do a certain thing ornot.
Recalling the ringmaster's words, the spectators at first were ata loss to account for the odd-looking figure that was clinging tothe back of the educated mule.
Suddenly they broke out into roars of laughter, while theperformers peering through the red curtain fairly howled withdelight.
Teddy was hanging to the cinch girth uncertain what to do. Theringmaster, amazed beyond words, stood gaping at the spectacle,for the moment powerless to use his usually ready tongue.
Jumbo launched into the arena.
"Get off!" thundered the ringmaster, suddenly recovering himself.
"I can't!" howled Teddy, though from present indications itappeared as if he would dismount without any effort on his ownpart.
Jumbo's heels flew into the air, then began a series of lunges,bucking and terrific kicking such as none among the vast audienceever had witnessed in or out of a show ring.
One instant Teddy would be standing on his head on the mule'sback, the next lying on his back with feet toward the animal'shead. Next he would be dragged along the ground, to be plumpedback again at the next bounce.
No feat seemed too difficult for Jumbo to attempt that day.
"Stop him! Stop him!" howled the ringmaster.
Ring attendants rushed forward to obey his command, but theymight as well have tried to stop a tornado. Jumbo eluded themwithout the least trouble, but their efforts to keep out of rangeof his flying hoofs were not so easy. Some of them had narrowescapes from being seriously injured.
Mr. Sparling, attracted by the roars of laughter of the audienceand the unusual disturbance, had hurried into the big top, wherehe stood, at first in amazement, then with a broad grinoverspreading his countenance.
Now Jumbo began a race with himself about the arena, followingthe concourse, now and then sending his heels into the air rightover the heads of the spectators of the lower row of seats,sending them scrambling under the seats for protection.
A clown ran out with half a dozen paper covered hoops, which hewas holding in readiness for the next bareback act.
He flaunted them in the face of the runaway mule.
Jumbo ducked his head under them and Teddy Tucker's head wentthrough the paper with a crash, the mule's heels at that instantbeing high in the air.
With the rings hung about his neck, Teddy cut a more ridiculousfigure than ever. The audience went wild with excitement.
Now the ringmaster, angered beyond endurance, began reaching forTeddy with the long lash of his whip. The business end of thelash once brushed the boy's cheek.
It stung him.
"Ouch!" howled Teddy as he felt the lash.
"Stop that!" exploded Mr. Sparling, who, by this time, had gotteninto the ring to take a hand in the performance himself. Hegrabbed the irate ringmaster by the collar, giving him a jerkthat that functionary did not forget in a hurry.
Jumbo, however, was no respecter of persons. He had taken ashort cut across the ring just as the owner had begun hiscorrection of the ringmaster. Jumbo shook out his heels again.They caught the owner's sombrero and sent it spinning into theair.
Mr. Sparling, in his excitement, forgot all about the ringmaster.Picking up a tent stake, he hurled it after the educated mule,missing him by a full rod.
The audience by this time was in a tempest of excitement. Atfirst they thought it was all a part of the show. But they weresoon undeceived, which made their enjoyment and appreciation allthe greater.
Jumbo took a final sprint about the arena, Teddy's legs and freearm most of the time in the air. H
e had long since lost hisclown's cap, which Jumbo, espying, had kicked off into theaudience.
"You fool mule! You fool mule!" bellowed Mr. Sparling.
Jumbo suddenly decided that he would go back to the paddock.With him, to decide was to act. Taking a fresh burst of speed,he shot straight at the red curtains. To reach these he wasobliged to pass close to the bandstand, where the band wasplaying as if the very existence of the show depended upon them.
Teddy's grip was relaxing. His arm was so benumbed that he couldnot feel that he had any arm on that side at all.
His fingers slowly relaxed their grip on the cinch girth. In amoment he had bounced back to the educated mule's rump. Inanother instant he would be plumped to the hard ground with ajolt that would shake him to his foundations.
But Jumbo had other plans--more spectacular plans--in mind. Heput them into execution at once. The moment he felt his burdenslipping over his back that active end grew busy again. Jumbohumped himself, letting out a volley of kicks so lightning-likein their swiftness that human eye could not follow.
Teddy had slipped half over the mule's rump when the volleybegan.
"Catch him! He'll be killed!" shouted someone.
All at once the figure of Teddy Tucker shot straight up into theair, propelled there by the educated mule. The lad's bodydescribed what somebody afterwards characterized as "gracefulsomersault in the air," then began its downward flight.
He landed right in the midst of the band.
Crash!
There was a yell of warning, a jingle and clatter of brass,several chairs went down under the impact, the floor gave way andhalf the band, with Teddy Tucker in the middle of the heap, sankout of sight.