the cage in which buster was kept was rather small, but it was clean and fresh, with plenty of straw on the bottom, and a blanket stretched on one side to shield him from the draft. there were other cages in the place, and after the first night he began to get acquainted with their occupants.
on his right there was an old lion, who had lost most of his teeth and much of his hair. he snored so loudly the first night that buster was twice awakened by what he thought was the roll of thunder. when morning dawned he asked the old lion if he always snored like that.
“yes, when i’m asleep, but when i’m awake i snore like this.”
to buster’s surprise he opened his mouth and let out a roar that shook the whole place and started every animal crying and snarling. spot the leopard, who was caged on buster’s left, growled and spit ferociously as he sprang from one side of his cage to the other. but[64] the old lion sat back on his haunches and roared with laughter.
“what did you do that for?” asked buster, when the wild commotion began to subside.
“just to show you how i snore in the day time,” was the retort. “you want to hear it again?”
“no, thank you, once is enough.”
“well, if you say so, i won’t,” replied the old lion. “but after you’ve been here a long time you’ll be glad to hear me roar. it breaks up the monotony. there’s nothing else to do, you know, and it gets dreadfully tiresome doing nothing. heigh-o! it’s a dull life!”
he yawned and stretched himself. spot the leopard on the other side stopped his snarling, and glanced between his bars at buster. he was interested in this new-comer, and he continued to stare so long that buster finally smiled back at him and nodded his head.
“how did they catch you?” spot asked suddenly.
“with a rope,” replied buster. “i wasn’t expecting it, and they dropped it over my head before i could run.”
spot spit and snarled again to show his temper. “they caught me when i was a cub,”[65] he said. “they wouldn’t have caught me if i was full grown. they’re afraid of me now. every time my trainer comes in i snarl and snap at her. she snaps the whip in my face, and i pretend to be afraid of it. but i’m not! i’m just waiting my chance. some day i’ll pounce on her, and then—”
he swished his long tail and licked his lips, while his eyes glowed balefully.
“what sort of a trainer have you?” asked buster. “is she good to you?”
“there she comes now,” whispered spot. “you can see for yourself.”
buster turned and saw a young woman, dressed in a dazzling, sparkling costume of many colors, with a small cap surmounting her golden hair, and a thick, rawhide whip in her hand. there was a fearless look in the dark eyes, and when she strode up to buster’s cage she surveyed him quite calmly. buster returned her stare, and blinked two or three times.
“he doesn’t look so ugly,” the woman said finally, addressing one of the attendants. “if i know anything about bears, i should say he was naturally good-humored. but of course you can’t tell. his temper may have been ruined by some one. his name is buster, you say?”
[66]she walked up to the cage and stuck a hand between the bars and patted the shaggy head. “well, buster, we’re either going to be friends or enemies,” she added. “which is it?”
buster couldn’t reply right away, so surprised was he, but unconsciously he stuck out his tongue and licked the hand. how soft and velvety it felt! instead of drawing the hand away, she permitted him to lick it again. then she smiled.
“you can see,” she said, speaking to the attendant, “he’s answered my question. we’re going to be friends. now open the door for me. i’m going inside.”
once more buster was surprised, but not nearly so much as the attendant. “don’t do it, chiquita,” he said in alarm. “he’s not to be trusted. he’s a vicious brute.”
chiquita smiled and put on her gloves.
“do i need your advice, billy,” she said, “when it comes to training animals? now please open the door.”
“but, chiquita, you will wait until i summon the attendants to protect you if he attacks you.”
“no, i’m going in now.”
she opened the door herself and stepped in the cage. buster watched her with eyes of admiration and surprise. he had no fear of[67] her. this dainty little creature could not hurt him. indeed, she looked so slight and helpless that he felt more like protecting her than hurting her.
she came up to him and rubbed his nose. he grunted with pleasure. then she patted his head and talked to him in a low, sweet voice. then she asked him to get down, and when he obeyed she sat on him. she touseled his head, opened his mouth and stuck a hand in it, and finally patted him again, and said:
“he’s all right, billy, as harmless as a kitten. we’ll put him in the circus tonight in place of poor old bowser.”
billy, the attendant, wasn’t convinced of the wisdom of this course, and shook his head, but chiquita laughed and walked out of the cage.
buster didn’t know just what they meant, for he had never been in a circus before, but that evening he learned.
he was wheeled into a brilliantly lighted place and stopped alongside of a big circular cage containing nearly a dozen other animals. there was the old lion, spot the leopard, boar the hound, timber the wolf, ocelot the jungle cat, and several others which he did not instantly recognize.
his coming started up a commotion among the animals, for just like people they were[68] curious and inquisitive. they eyed him furtively and sniffed at him. but without noticing them he waddled across the big cage and took a vacant place near the old lion.
then something happened that dazzled him. the curtain around the big circular cage disappeared, and a sea of human faces were visible on every side. the lights went up, and the whole place seemed like a wonderful picture.
the next moment chiquita entered the cage, holding her whip in one hand and a flag in the other. she gave a few sharp orders and the animals began to pose, dance and run around. it was all new to buster and a little confusing, but he tried to follow and imitate the others. apparently this pleased chiquita, for she patted him once, and whispered in his ear:
“well done, buster! you’re doing splendidly!”
buster noticed that spot the leopard was often surly and ugly, refusing to obey until chiquita hit him with the whip. this made him mind, but it didn’t improve his temper any. his surliness made the others nervous, and once they got all snarled up and confused.
“you, spot,” cried chiquita, “i’ll punish you if you don’t behave. now take that!”
[69]she gave him a sharp rap over the nose with her whip. it stung and enraged spot, who cowered back a moment, and then crouched for a leap. chiquita saw what was coming, but she didn’t flinch. she snapped the whip in his face again, but this time the trick didn’t work.
spot flung himself through the air in a mighty leap, uttering a low savage growl, which excited the other animals so they set up a wild roar. attendants ran to the cage with long irons and sticks in their hands, but chiquita was penned against the iron bars, vainly trying to hold spot off at arms’ length. there was a great shout outside, and everybody stood up, with fear and horror in their eyes.
in the midst of the confusion, buster suddenly came to life. he had taken no part in the commotion, but when he saw spot attacking chiquita, whose white face and appealing eyes were turned toward him, his anger flared up. he would not stand by idly while the leopard tore and scratched the white flesh of his friend.
with a low growl, buster started across the cage, baring his teeth in an ugly grin, and holding aloft a paw ready to strike. the other animals stood aside to let him pass, but[70] spot was snapping and snarling at chiquita so that he did not see him.
how buster saved chiquita from spot the leopard, and won her undying friendship, will be told in the next story.
