"Just look how thin and pale he is," whispered the doctor's son, who sat not far away from the youthful acrobat.
"Looks as if he had had a spell of sickness," added Giant.
The youthful acrobat did look as if he had been sick and was not yet entirely over it. He walked slowly over to one of the ropes and grasped it in his thin, white hands.
"I—-I can't go up, Mr. Jones," the chums heard him whisper to the ringmaster.
"Yes, you can—-and will, or I'll cut you with the whip!" was the ringmaster's harsh answer, and he cracked his lash loudly.
"I—-I'm not well enough yet—-my head is dizzy," pleaded the young acrobat.
"Up you go!" snarled the ringmaster, and cracked his whip in such a fashion that the end of the lash took the young acrobat in the calf of the leg, causing him to cry with pain.
"What an outrage!" whispered Snap, clenching his fists. "That ringmaster ought to be cowhided."
Painfully the young acrobat started to pull himself up on the rope. The ringmaster glared at him and then cracked his whip once more, taking the young performer in the arm.
"Shame! shame!" cried Snap; and "Shame!" added the other boys quickly.