"I was lost once, in the jungle like that," went on the monkey chap,
"and all I had to eat was a cocoanut. And I--"
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" cried Humpo the camel. "Are we
listening to your story, Chako, or to Umboo's?"
"Oh, that's so! I forgot!" exclaimed Chako. "Go on, Umboo. I won't
talk any more."
"Well, I won't either--at least for a while," said Umboo. "For here
come the keepers with our dinners. Let's eat instead of talking."
And surely enough, into the circus tent came the men with the food for
the animals--hay for the elephants, meat for the lions and tigers, and
dried bread and peanuts for the monkeys.
Then after a sleep, which most animals take about as soon as they have
eaten, it was time for the circus to begin. Into the tent where the
jungle folk were kept, came the boys and girls, with their fathers and
mothers, or uncles, aunts and cousins.
"Oh, look at the big elephant!" cried one boy. "I'm going to give him
some peanuts!" and he stopped in front of Umboo.
"No, don't!" cried a little girl who was with the boy. "He might bite
you.
Pages:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69