Part IV Chapter 5 Doctor Dolittle's Circus by Hugh Lofting
THE STAR TURN GIVES A GREAT PERFORMANCE
Tremendous excitement now prevailed behind the scenes in Blossom's "Mammoth Circus." As the clown, Hop, opened the dressing room door to go back into the ring, mingled cheers and hand-clapping, the noise of a big audience's applause, reached the ears of John Dolittle and the manager.
"Listen, Hop," said Blossom, "pass the word to Mugg as you go back in that Nino is going to play anyway--in substitute--and the Doc here is doing the part of the trainer. Mugg can give 'em the introduction patter just the same. Tell 'im to lay it on thick. It's going to be the greatest little turn we ever showed--better than Nino at his best."
"All right, governor," said the clown grinning through his paint. "But I wish you had picked a better-looking horse."
At the last moment one of the Doctor's shoulder straps was found to be loose. Only two minutes now remained before his act was due. Some one flew off and found Theodosia and with frantic haste she put it right with a needle and thread. Then, complete in his gay and wonderful uniform, the Doctor ran out of the dressing room to join his partner, Beppo, whose bridle was being held at the entrance to the big tent by the boy, Frank.
Poor Beppo did not look nearly as smart as the Doctor. Years of neglect and haphazard grooming could not be remedied by one curry-combing. His coat was long and dingy-looking, his mane straggly and unkempt. In spite of the smart, green and white headstall and the red ribbon in his plaited tail, he looked what he was: an old, old servant who had done his work faithfully for many, many years and got little credit or thanks for it.
"Oh, I say, Beppo!" the Doctor murmured in his ear as he took the bridle from Frank. "Anyone would think you were going to a funeral. Brace up! Draw your head back, high. That's it. Now blow out your nostrils.--Ah, much better!"
"You know, Doctor," said Beppo, "you mightn't believe it, but I come of a very good family. My mother used to trace her pedigree way back to the battle-charger that Julius Cæsar* used--the one he always rode when he reviewed the Prætorian Guard. My mother was very proud of it. She took first prizes, she did. But when the heavy battle chargers went out of fashion all the big military horses got put to draft work. That's how we came down in the world. Oughtn't we to rehearse this act a bit first? I've no idea of what I'm expected to do."
"No, we haven't time now," said John Dolittle. "We are liable to be called on any minute. But we'll manage. Just do everything I tell you --and put in an extras you think of yourself. Look out, you're drooping your head again. Remember your Roman ancestor. Chin up-- that's the way. Arch your neck. Make your eyes flash. Look as though you were carrying an emperor who owned the earth.-- Fine! That's the style! Now you look great."
Within the big canvas theatre, Mr. Matthew Mugg, ringmaster for a day, was still covering himself with glory, bossing "The Greatest Show on Earth" with creditable skill and introducing the performers with much oratory and unusual grammar. He was having the time of his life and making the most of it.
In between the turns of the Pinto Brothers and the Strong Man, he saw Hop return into the ring and recommence his arms which always so delighted the children. As the crown did a somersault past the ringmaster's nose, Matthew heard him whisper:
"The boss is putting on another talking horse with the Doctor playing the trainer. He wants you to introduce him the same as Nino."
"Right you are," Matthew whispered back. "I've got the idea."
And when Jojo, the dancing elephant, had bowed himself out amidst a storm of applause, the ringmaster stepped to the entrance flap and himself led forward the next, the star, turn.
For a moment old Beppo, accompanied by a short stout man in cavalry uniform, seemed a little scared to find a sea of faces staring down at him.
Motioning to the strange-looking performers to remain by the edge of the ring a moment, Matthew advanced into the center. With a lordly wave of the hand he silenced the wheezy band who were still finishing Jojo's last dance. And in the quiet that followed he looked up at the audience and filled his lungs for his last and most impressive speech.
"Ladies and gentleman," roared Ringmaster Mugg, "we 'ave now harrived at the last and most himportant act in our long and helegant program. You 'ave all 'eard. I'm sure, of Nino--Nino, the world-famous Talking Horse, and his gallant owner, the dashing Cossack cavalry officer, Captain Nicholas Pufftupski. There they are, ladies and gentlemen; you see them before you in the flesh. Kings and queens have traveled miles to witness their act. Only two months ago, when we are playing in Monte Carlo, we 'ad to turn away the Prime Minister of England because we 'adn't got a seat for 'im in the 'ouse.
"Nino, ladies and gentlemen, is very old. He came originally from the back steps of Siberia. His present owner, Major Pufftupski, bought 'im from the wandering Tartar tribes. Since then 'e 'as been through fifteen wars--which accounts for his wore-out appearance. This is the self-same 'orse what Colonel Pufftupski rode when, single 'anded 'e drove Napoleon out of Moscow and saved Russia from fallin' under the hiron 'eel of Bonaparte. And the centre one of them three medals you see 'anging on the Brigadier's chest is the one the Czar gave 'im as a reward for 'is brave hact."
"Oh, stop his nonsense, Matthew," whispered the Doctor coming up to him, dreadfully embarrassed. "There's no need to--"
But the eloquent ringmaster hurried on with thunderous voice:
"So much, ladies and gentlemen, for the military career of this remarkable 'orse and 'is brave owner. General Pufftupski is a modest man and he forbids me to tell you about 'is other medals what was given 'im by the King of Sweden and the Empress of China. I now pass on to the hextraordinary hintelligence of the animal you see before you. On 'is way back from chasing Napoleon out of Russia, Count Pufftupski was took prisoner--and 'is 'orse, the famous Nino, with 'im. During their himprisonment they became very hintimate. So much so that at the end of the two years while they was captives of the French, Nino and 'is owner could talk to one another freely--the same as you and I might do. If you don't believe what I say you can prove it for yourselves. All you 'ave to do is to ask any question of Nino through his owner and it will be answered-- if it 'as an answer. The Field Marshal talks all languages except Japanese. If any Japanese ladies or gentlemen in the audience wants to ask questions they'll 'ave to turn 'em into some other language first. Marshal Pufftupski will open 'is performance with this marvelous 'orse with a few tricks just to show you what they can do. Ladies and gentlemen, I 'ave great pleasure in introducing to you the Archduke Nicholas Pufftupski, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army, and 'is battle charger, the one and only, world-famous NINO."
As the band played a few opening chords the Doctor and Beppo stepped forward to the centre of the ring and bowed. A tremendous burst of applause came from the people.
It was a strange performance, the only one of its kind ever given to a circus audience. The Doctor, when he entered the ring, had no definite idea of what he was going to do--neither had Beppo. But the old, old veteran knew that the performance was going to win him comfort and freedom from work for the rest of his days. Every one in a while during the course of the act he would forget his noble ancestry and slump back into his usual weary, worn-out appearance. But on the whole, as Hop said afterward, he made a much better-looking show horse than anyone had expected; and so far as the audience was concerned, his success surpassed anything Blossom had ever exhibited.
After doing a few tricks Colonel Pufftupski turned to the people and offered (in remarkably good English) to make the horse do anything they asked. Immediately a little boy in front row cried out:
"Tell him to come over here and take my hat off."
The Doctor made a sign or two and Beppo went straight to the boy, lifted the cap from his head and put it into his hand. Then numberless questions were shouted by the audience, and to every one Beppo gave an answer--sometimes by tapping the floor, sometimes by shaking his head, and sometimes by word of mouth which the Doctor translated. The people enjoyed it so much that Blossom, watching through a slit outside, thought they'd never be done. And when at last the gallant Pufftupski led his horse out of the ring the audience clapped and cheered and called to him again and again to come back and receive their applause.
The news of the wonderful success of the circus's first performance in Bridgeton, mostly brought about by the marvelous Talking Horse, quickly spread through the town. And long before the evening show was due people were lined up outside the big tent, four deep, waiting patiently to make sure of seats; while the rest of the enclosure and all the side shows were packed and thronged so tight that you could hardly move through the crowds.