The Circus of Adventure (17 page)

Philip was startled. He looked at the trapeze swinging below the wire rope, running along it on a pulley-wheel. So that was the idea! They were each in turn to sit on that peculiar swing, and be pulled across to the bell-tower! Well!

‘Hurry!’ said Toni, impatiently. ‘You first?’

‘Yes,’ said Philip, thinking perhaps that if the others saw him going across quite easily they wouldn’t be afraid. He turned to Gussy and the startled girls.

‘I’ll go first and you watch me,’ he said. ‘Then Lucy-Ann—then you, Gussy—and you last, Dinah.’

He stood on the bed, and then swung himself up on the stone window-sill. He held on to the rope outside, and suddenly felt Toni’s strong hands under his armpits. It really wasn’t very difficult to sit on the trapeze.

‘I come!’ said Toni, to the anxious watchers opposite, and he ran over the wire once more, pulling the trapeze back to the bell-tower. Philip arrived there on the swing almost before he knew it! He was pulled off and dragged into the tower in safety. Jack found his hand and shook it hard. He found that he suddenly couldn’t say a word! Neither could Philip.

Toni ran across again, pulling back the trapeze. Lucy-Ann was scared almost stiff with fright, but she was brave and managed to get on to the swing quite well, with Toni’s help. Away she went, giving a little gasp as she thought of the great distance to the ground below her.

Back came Toni with the swing, and Gussy was pushed forward to get on it. He was so frightened that Toni began to wonder whether he would fall off in the middle of his trip across the wire! But Gussy held on grimly, his teeth chattering—and almost burst into tears of relief when he got safely to the bell-tower.

Dinah was no trouble. She wasn’t afraid, and if she had been she wouldn’t have shown it! She shot across easily, with Toni pulling her, as sure-footed as a cat.

Everyone suddenly felt very cheerful. Lucy-Ann hugged Jack without stopping. There was now such a crowd on the little stone platform at the top of the tower that poor Toni could hardly find room for himself!

‘What about this wire rope?’ said Pedro. ‘How can we get it back?’

‘We leave it,’ said Toni. ‘It is not possible to get it away. I have another.’

‘Let’s get down to the ground,’ said Jack, half afraid that now things had gone so well, something might suddenly happen to make them go wrong. ‘I’ll go first.’

Soon they were all at the bottom of the tower. ‘Silent, now,’ whispered Jack, and they began to walk cautiously down the slope of the hill to the circus.

Lucy-Ann kept close to Jack, and he put his arm round her. He was very glad to know that his sister was safe. Gussy stumbled along, scared and puzzled. He didn’t really seem to know quite what was happening!

‘The girls can have our van,’ said Pedro to Jack. ‘You and I and Gussy can sleep beneath it.’

But before they could get to the van, a great clamour came on the air, and startled them so much that they all stood still in panic. Whatever was that tremendous noise?

‘It’s a bell—it’s bells!’ said Jack, putting his hands to his ears. ‘The bell in the bell-tower—and the bell in the church—and another bell somewhere else! Whatever’s happening? Have they missed Gussy already?’

The circus-folk all awoke and rushed out of their vans, marvelling at the pandemonium of noise made by the bells. Clang, clang, jangle, jangle, clang, clang! It went on all the time!

And then there came shouting from the town. Lights shone out, and still the bells went on and on. ‘There are some ringing from the next village too,’ said Jack, marvelling. ‘It’s to warn the people about something. What can it be? They can’t know yet about Gussy escaping—why, except for Count Paritolen and his sister nobody knew Gussy was a prisoner.’

No—the bells were not ringing for Gussy. They were giving other news—serious news.

‘The King! The King is gone! He has disappeared! He is nowhere to be found. The King is gone!’

The townsfolk shouted the news to one another in foreboding. What had happened to their King? Had he been killed? All the bells in the country rang out the news. Enemies had taken their King! Who? Why? Clang, clang, clang, jangle, jangle!

‘My word!’ said Jack, when he heard the news. ‘We only JUST got Gussy out in time. Only just! Another half-hour and it would have been too late.’

‘Yes,’ said Philip. ‘And I’d like to see Count Paritolen’s face when he rushes to the tower-room to get Gussy out of bed and put him on the throne—and Gussy’s not there! The King gone—and no one to put in his place!’

Gussy burst into howls. ‘What’s happened to my uncle?’ he wailed. ‘Where is he? I don’t want to be King!’

‘Shut up!’ said Jack, fiercely. ‘Do you want every single person here to know you’re the Prince? If someone gives you away, you’ll be captured by the Count immediately! Go into that caravan and don’t dare to make a sound!’

Chapter 23

BEWARE THE BEARS!

Jack hurried the girls and Gussy to Pedro’s van. He hadn’t reckoned on arriving back with them in the middle of a disturbance like this! All the circus-folk were out of their vans; they were dressed in all kinds of shawls, coats and macs, hastily pulled over their night things, and were gathering together in frightened groups to talk.

It was just about the very worst time to bring Gussy to the camp. Suppose anyone recognized him? He would certainly have to be disguised at once.

Pedro realized this too. He knew, much better than Jack, what trouble the circus-folk would get into if it was discovered that they were harbouring the Prince himself! They would all be clapped into prison at once. Pedro was very very worried.

‘Jack! I’ll have to tell Ma,’ he said, desperately. ‘I’ll have to! She can hide Gussy better than anyone. Let me tell her. She’ll help us.’

There was nothing for it but to say yes. Jack watched Pedro go up to his mother and say something urgently. Then they disappeared up the steps of Ma’s caravan, and shut the door. Jack looked at Philip, who was feeling bewildered at this sudden transition from confinement in the tower-room to the excited turmoil of the circus camp.

The girls and Gussy were now safely in Pedro’s own caravan—trying to peer out of the windows to see what was going on. Kiki had gone with them. Lucy-Ann almost wished she was back in the peace of the tower-room! She couldn’t understand exactly what was happening. Where was Jack? Why didn’t he come and tell her?

Pedro came out of his mother’s caravan and went straight over to Jack. ‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘Ma’s taken command! She’s not a bit afraid of hiding the Prince—actually she rather enjoys something like this. She’ll get him some girl’s clothes, put a ribbon on that long hair of his, and keep him close to her. She says she’ll tell everyone he’s her little grand-daughter, come to stay for a few days.’

Jack gave a chuckle at the thought of Gussy as a girl. ‘He’ll hate it,’ he said. ‘He’ll kick up no end of a fuss.’

‘Ma won’t take any notice,’ said Pedro, with a grin. ‘She’s quite likely to give him a few hard slaps, and my word, she’s got a bony hand! I’ll get him and take him to her. No one will recognize Prince Aloysius when she’s finished with him.’

Pedro went off, and Jack turned to Philip, who grinned at him. ‘Poor old Gussy! That’s a wonderful idea though—Gussy will make a BEAUTIFUL girl!’

There came a sudden shouting from the other end of the camp—then screams. People began to stream away towards the two boys, shouting in fear.

‘The bears! The bears! They’re out!’

Toni came bounding up to Jack. ‘Where’s that friend of yours you said could manage animals? Oh, there he is. The bears are loose—they’ve broken three of the bars of their cage. See if your friend can help. Fank can’t even get out of bed.’

Philip knew nothing about the bears, of course, and Jack hurriedly told him the details as they ran to the other end of the field. ‘I hope you can do something with them, Philip. Toni helped me to rescue you on the chance that you could help. It will be a terrible loss to the circus if the bears get loose and have to be shot.’

One bear was still in the broken cage, afraid to go out because of the crowds. He was making a terrible noise. No one dared to go near. In a nearby cage Feefo and Fum, the two chimpanzees, were wailing in fright. Madame Fifi made sure they were safely locked in and ran over to Jack.

‘Don’t go near that bear, you two boys. He’s dangerous. And look out for the others. They’re loose.’

‘Can’t someone block up those broken bars?’ said Philip. ‘He’ll be out soon.’

‘Nobody dares,’ said Toni. But little Madame Fifi dared! She ran to a brilliant flaring torch, stuck in a holder nearby, plucked it out and ran back to the cage. She thrust the pointed bottom end of the torch into the ground, just in front of the cage. The bear shrank back at the bright light and crouched down in a corner. He was afraid of the brilliance.

‘That settles him,’ said Philip, pleased. ‘He won’t attempt to come out while that light is there. Now—where are the others?’

‘Over there—sniffing round the Boss’s caravan,’ said Jack, pointing to two dark shapes. ‘I bet the Boss is shivering in his shoes inside the van!’

‘Where can I get some meat?’ panted Philip as they ran across the field towards the bears. ‘Or better still, can I get honey anywhere—or treacle?’

‘Treacle! Yes, Ma’s got a whole jar of it,’ said Jack, remembering. ‘I’ll get it.’

He raced off to Ma’s caravan, burst in and demanded the treacle. Gussy was there, standing in silken vest and pants, protesting loudly. Ma was evidently getting to work on him! She didn’t seem to be at all surprised at Jack bursting in to ask for treacle.

‘On the shelf,’ she said, and went on brushing out Gussy’s hair.

Jack found the big stone jar and fled back to Philip with it. Philip had now gone close to the bears, who turned to look at him suspiciously.

‘They’ve already injured one man,’ said Jack, in a low voice. ‘ Look out, won’t you, Philip?’

‘I’ll be all right,’ said Philip. ‘Keep out of sight, Jack.’ He took the jar of treacle, dipped his hands in it and smeared them up to the wrists with the thick, sweet syrup.

Then he walked towards the bears, pouring a little of the syrup out on the grass as he went. The bears growled warningly. Philip turned and went back again. He sat down with the jar of treacle and waited.

By now many people were watching. Who was this boy? What was he doing, meddling with two dangerous bears? They watched in fearful curiosity, ready to run at any moment.

Jack stood out of sight—but near enough to run to Philip’s help if necessary! He didn’t think it would be necessary; he had absolute faith in Philip’s ability to manage any animal.

The bears soon smelt the syrup that Philip had spilt here and there on the grass. They loved the sweetness of treacle. Fank sometimes gave it to them for a treat—and there was nothing they liked better than to have an empty syrup tin given to them, and to be allowed to lick it, and put their great paws inside.

They sniffed, and went towards the first spots of treacle on the ground. One bear found them and licked eagerly. The second bear growled at him and tried to push him aside—but suddenly smelt another few spots of treacle further on! He lumbered on clumsily and licked eagerly.

As soon as the bears realized that there was treacle about, they began to grunt excitedly. They had refused food for two days now, and they were hungry. They sniffed eagerly for more treacle.

The watching people held their breath as they saw the two great clumsy creatures getting nearer and nearer to the boy sitting on the ground. Surely he was in danger?

‘Who is he? He ought to be warned!’ they said. But Toni and Bingo hushed them.

‘Be quiet! He is Jack’s friend, a wonder with animals! Give him a chance! He can run if the bears threaten him!’

The first bear was now quite near Philip, his head close to the ground as he sniffed about for more treacle. Philip put his hand into the jar he held, and took it out, waving it slowly in the air so that the bear could get the full scent of it.

The bear raised his head and saw Philip. He backed away a little and gave an angry grunt. Who was that sitting on the ground? His eyes gleamed an angry red in the light from a nearby lamp. A little sigh of fear went through the anxious crowd.

And then Philip spoke. He spoke in what Jack called his ‘special’ voice—the voice he always kept for animals. It was a low, monotonous voice, a gentle, kindly voice, but somehow it was a voice that had to be listened to. ‘A sort of hypnotising voice,’ thought Jack, as he stood watching.

The bear listened. He grunted again, and backed away, bumping into the second bear. But still Philip’s voice went on. What was he saying? Jack couldn’t hear. How did he know how to talk to animals like this? And why did they all listen? The watching circus-folk knew that most animal trainers used a special tone of voice when they petted their animals—but here was a strange boy talking to frightened and suspicious bears—and yet they listened.

The second bear came a little nearer, his ears pricked. He sniffed. He sniffed not only the treacle, but Philip’s own particular smell. He liked it. It was a friendly smell. The bears always sorted out people into two kinds—those whose smell they liked and those they didn’t.

He lumbered right up to Philip and sniffed at him, ready to strike if the boy moved. A little scream came from someone in the crowd, but the bear took no notice.

Philip went on talking, and now his voice was so honeyed and persuasive that even the crowd began to feel his spell. The bear licked Philip’s hand, which was covered in treacle. Philip did not move. The bear went on licking, quite unafraid.

The other bear came up, and, seeing how unafraid his brother was, he took a quick lick at Philip’s other hand. In two or three seconds both bears were grunting in delight at so much treacle. This boy was a friend! They didn’t know who he was, but they were quite sure he was a friend.

Philip talked all the time, monotonously and kindly. He thought he could now dare to move, so he lifted one hand slowly, put it into the jar beside him, and then took it out covered with treacle again.