'Now that's a fine thing to do,' said he warmly, 'and I'm your man. I'll tip the rubbish out of my barrow and come along with you.'
Then he added confidentially, 'But we might turn them into a circus afterwards and make a lot of money.'
And so Sammy and Edouardo joined the family, and they journeyed on together.
At first the other creatures looked askance at Edouardo, but after a while they found he was an animal of great character, and made friends with him—all except Mary Carmichael, who chose to be jealous—but the Bear was his great chum.
Of course the barrow was a great delight to the party, but they were so eager to ride in it that they nearly broke it by all crowding in together. They took it in turns to put on the harness and pull, except the Rabbit, Patsey, and the Piccaninny, and they, not being able to take their turn in pulling, were not allowed to ride properly, but had to hang on at the back on the sly, until Miss Crocodile noticed them and cried 'Whip behind!'
The Lion was too much engaged with Edouardo to hear her, and so she had to slap them herself.
This seemed very unjust to the three, and Miss Crocodile's slaps hurt them still more, so they lagged some way behind and plotted together to be avenged on Miss Crocodile.
Of course, if Baby Jane had seen, she would have set things right, but she was walking on ahead with Sammy, discussing how they should collect an army, and planning new instruction for the creatures in the meantime.
They had got so far ahead as to be almost out of sight of the party in the barrow, who steered a very roundabout course, when they came upon a young but vicious-looking hippopotamus lying in wait behind a cactus bush—evidently a spy sent after them by the Black Mountain band. With its mouth wide open it made a rush at them, and Baby Jane in terror collapsed on the ground and covered her face. But the fierce brute had not considered that it had to reckon with an English boy, and with one who knew how to box.
