CHAPTER SIX
THE CIRCUS CAMP AND n.o.bBY
It did not take the caravans very long to come in sight of the circus camp. As George had said, it was in a comfortable hollow, set at the foot of the hills - a quiet spot, well away from any dwelling-places, where the circus animals could enjoy a certain amount of freedom and be exercised in peace.
The caravans were set round in a wide circle. Tents had been put up here and there. The big elephant was tied by a thick rope to a stout tree. Dogs ran about everywhere, and a string of shining horses was being paraded round a large field nearby.
"There they all are!" said Anne, excitedly, standing up on the driving-seat to see better. "Golly, the chimpanzee is loose, isn"t he? No, he isn"t - someone has got him on a rope. Is it n.o.bby with him?"
"Yes, it is. I say, fancy walking about with a live chimp like that!" said Julian.
The children looked at everything with the greatest interest as their caravans came nearer to the circus camp. Few people seemed to be about that hot afternoon. n.o.bby was there with the chimpanzee, and one or two women were stirring pots over small fires - but that seemed to be all.
The circus dogs set up a great barking as the red and green caravans drew nearer. One or two men came out of the tents and looked up the track that led to the camp. They pointed to the children"s caravans and seemed astonished.
n.o.bby, with the chimpanzee held firmly by the paw, came out of the camp in curiosity to meet the strange caravans. Julian hailed him.
"Hi, n.o.bby! You didn"t think you"d see us here, did you?"
n.o.bby was amazed to hear his name called. At first he did not remember the children at all. Then he gave a yell.
"Jumping Jiminy, it"s you kids I saw away back on the road! What are you doing here?"
Timmy growled ominously and George called to n.o.bby. "He"s never seen a chimpanzee before. Do you think they"ll be friends?"
"Don"t know," said n.o.bby doubtfully. "Old Pongo likes the circus dogs all right. Anyway, don"t you let your dog fly at Pongo, or he"ll be eaten alive! A chimp is very strong, you know."
"Could I make friends with Pongo, do you think?" asked George. "If he would shake hands with me, or something, Timmy would know I was friends with him and he"d be all right. Would Pongo make friends with me?"
""Course he will!" said n.o.bby. "He"s the sweetest-tempered chimp alive - ain"t you, Pongo? Now, shake hands with the lady."
Anne didn"t feel at all inclined to go near the chimpanzee, but George was quite fearless. She walked up to the big animal and held out her hand. The chimpanzee took it at once, raised it to his mouth and pretended to nibble it, making friendly noises all the time.
George laughed. "He"s nice, isn"t he?" she said. "Timmy, this is Pongo, a friend. Nice Pongo, good Pongo!"
She patted Pongo on the shoulder to show Timmy that she liked the chimpanzee, and Pongo at once patted her on the shoulder, too, grinning amiably. He then patted her on the head and pulled one of her curls.
Timmy wagged his tail a little. He looked very doubtful indeed. What was this strange creature that his mistress appeared to like so much. He took a step towards Pongo.
"Come on, Timmy, say how do you do to Pongo," said George. "Like this." And she shook hands with the chimpanzee again. This time he wouldn"t let her hand go, but went on shaking it up and down as if he was pumping water with a pump-handle.
"He won"t let go," said George.
"Don"t be naughty, Pongo," said n.o.bby in a stern voice. Pongo at once dropped George"s hand and covered his face with a hairy paw as if he was ashamed. But the children saw that he was peeping through his fingers with wicked eyes that twinkled with fun.
"He"s a real monkey!" said George, laughing.
"You"re wrong - he"s an ape!" said n.o.bby. "Ah, here comes Timmy to make friends. Jumping Jiminy, they"re shaking paws!"
So they were. Timmy, having once made up his mind that Pongo was to be a friend, remembered his manners and held out his right paw as he had been taught. Pongo seized it and shook it vigorously. Then he walked round to the back of Timmy and shook hands with his tail. Timmy didn"t know what to make of it all.
The children yelled with laughter, and Timmy sat down firmly on his tail. Then he stood up again, his tail wagging, for Barker and Growler had come rushing up. Timmy remembered them, and they remembered him.
"Well, they"re making friends all right," said n.o.bby, pleased. "Now they"ll introduce Timmy to all the other dogs, and there"ll be no trouble. Hey, look out for Pongo, there!"
The chimpanzee had stolen round to the back of Julian and was slipping his hand into the boy"s pocket. n.o.bby went to him and slapped the chimpanzee"s paw hard.
"Naughty! Bad boy! Pickpocket!"
The children laughed again when the chimpanzee covered his face with his paws, pretending to be ashamed.
"You"ll have to watch out when Pongo"s about," said n.o.bby. "He loves to take things out of people"s pockets. I say - do tell me - are those your caravans? Aren"t they posh?"
"They"ve been lent to us," said d.i.c.k. "As a matter of fact, it was seeing your circus go by, with all its gay caravans, that made us think of borrowing caravans, too, and coming away for a holiday."
"And as you"d told us where you were going we thought we"d follow you and find you out, and get you to show us round the camp," said Julian. "Hope you don"t mind."
"I"m proud," said n.o.bby, going a bright red. ""Tisn"t often folks want to make friends with a circus fellow like me - not gentlefolk like you, I mean. I"ll be proud to show you round - and you can make friends with every blessed monkey, dog and horse on the place!"
"Oh, thanks!" said all four at once.
"Jolly decent of you," said d.i.c.k. "Gosh, look at that chimp - he"s trying to shake hands with Timmy"s tail again. I bet he"s funny in the circus ring, isn"t he, n.o.bby?"
"He"s a scream," said n.o.bby. "Brings the house down. You should see him act with my Uncle Dan. He"s the chief clown, you know. Pongo is just as big a clown as my uncle is - it"s a fair scream to see them act the fool together."
"I wish we could see them," said Anne. "Acting in the ring, I mean. Will your uncle mind you showing us all the animals and everything?"
"Why should he?" said n.o.bby. "Shan"t ask him! But you"ll mind and act polite to him, won"t you? He"s worse than a tiger when he"s in a temper. They call him Tiger Dan because of his rages."
Anne didn"t like the sound of that at all - Tiger Dan! It sounded very fierce and savage.
"I hope he isn"t about anywhere now," she said nervously, looking round.
"No. He"s gone off somewhere," said n.o.bby. "He"s a lonesome sort of chap - got no friends much in the circus, except Lou, the acrobat. That"s Lou over there."
Lou was a long-limbed, loose-jointed fellow with an ugly face, and a crop of black shining hair that curled tightly. He sat on the steps of a caravan, smoking a pipe and reading a paper. The children thought that he and Tiger Dan would make a good pair - bad-tempered, scowling and unfriendly. They all made up their minds that they would have as little as possible to do with Lou the acrobat and Tiger Dan the clown.
"Is he a very good acrobat?" said Anne in a low voice, though Lou was much too far away to hear her.
"Fine. First cla.s.s," said n.o.bby with admiration in his voice. "He can climb anything anywhere - he could go up that tree there like a monkey - and I"ve seen him climb a drainpipe straight up the side of a tall building just like a cat. He"s a marvel. You should see him on the tight-rope, too. He can dance on it!"
The children gazed at Lou with awe. He felt their glances, looked up and scowled. "Well," thought Julian, "he may be the finest acrobat that ever lived - but he"s a jolly nasty-looking fellow. There"s not much to choose between him and Tiger Dan!"
Lou got up, uncurling his long body like a cat. He moved easily and softly. He loped to n.o.bby, still with the ugly scowl on his face.