[CHAPTER VI]
DIDO IN THE COUNTRY
New York is a big city, and it is not a place where bears live, except in Central Park, or Bronx Park, where there are many wild animals in cages or dens. And it was to New York that Dido had come with his keeper.
On the ship Dido had had some adventures, and I wish I had space enough in this book to tell you about what happened to him. But I think, perhaps, you would rather hear about Dido’s adventures as he traveled about the country and cities, dancing, turning somersaults, and climbing trees and telegraph poles.
So I will just say that on the ship Dido did a few tricks for the passengers on deck when the weather was fine. When it was stormy Dido and his keeper had to stay down in their room. And Dido had all he wanted to eat.
For there were on that ship many children, and when they heard that Dido, the dancing bear, was also a passenger they gave him some of their buns, apples and other good things. So Dido had a happy time.
Once there was a big storm, and the ship almost turned a somersault, as Dido himself had done in the woods. But the storm passed, the sun came out, and the ocean grew quiet. Then Dido felt better.
Now he was in New York with his keeper. As I have told you, a big city is not a good place for a bear to live. Of course there is enough for him to eat, if he can get it, but there are not many trees, except in the streets, and policemen don’t like to see bears climbing the city trees. And in a city there are no lakes of blue water, in which bears may swim.
But Dido’s master took him to a stable where there were many horses, and here Dido felt quite at home, though at first the horses were frightened when they smelled the bear. For horses smell in much the same way as do bears. If you have ever held out an apple, or a lump of sugar, to a horse you have seen him smell it before he tasted it. All animals do this. They can often smell better than they can see, and they tell, in that way, whether a thing is good for them to eat. So when the horses smelled Dido, the dancing bear, they were a bit frightened, as they were not used to wild animals, and they thought Dido was wild. But when they saw him do some of his tricks, which he did for practice in the barn, the horses were afraid no more.