“QUIT THAT!” SHOUTED BILLY.
He felt that his head was being pulled nearer and nearer the fatal bars. Now his nose touched the iron, and his fore feet were no longer on the ground. Billy closed his eyes, throwing his head up once more, not in the hope of breaking loose—he had given that up—but in utter despair. It saved him. In some way, Billy could never afterward explain how, one of his horns caught under the pin with which the door was fastened and as he raised his head for the last time this pin was dislodged and fell to the ground.
Billy’s captor was braced against the door at the time, the better to drag him in, so that when the fastening gave way the door flew open in a hurry and out popped the blue-nosed Mandrill, followed closely by all the other monkeys.
Billy now tried, of course, to get away for he had quite enough of the monkey tribe by this time, but they wouldn’t have it that way. In two seconds they were all around him. Billy Whiskers had set them free and it was plain to be seen that he was the one of all others to tie to now.
As soon as the monkeys came piling out of their cage, the people who were looking on scattered right and left. They made a great commotion but nobody paid much attention. This clearing of the space gave just the opportunity that was wanted to organize and make a few plans. It took far less time than it does to tell it. In a minute the decision had been reached to give the performance of the afternoon, and so they moved, in a compact body with Billy Whiskers in the center, toward the great ring, everybody getting quickly out of their way without being asked.
At the sudden and unexpected appearance of Billy Whiskers and the monkeys in the midst of the great amphitheatre, packed with people, a great shout went up. Such a welcome was never given the most skilled performer or even to the most popular clown.
The reception tendered to the newcomers by the performers and clown who were busy at the time of their coming with their different parts was in marked contrast to that of the audience.
They were apparently frightened out of their wits and every one of them took to his heels, leaving the ring in the possession of the strangest group that, up to that time, had ever been seen at any circus, though it became a common sight afterward for the fashion of a new departure in circus performing was now being thus strangely set.
Without pausing, the monkeys took up the work of entertaining the people. It was found afterward, on inquiry, that they had learned their parts by being able to watch the acting day after day from their cage.