“To the big barns I told you about,” answered the jolly elephant. “We are going into winter quarters.”
And, a few days later, there is where Dido found himself. He was still kept in his cage, which was in a big barn with many other cages of animals. There were horses and elephants in the barn, Tum Tum being there, of course.
Dido did not have to do his tricks every day now. But once a week or so his master came to put him through them, to see that the bear had not forgotten how to dance, or turn somersaults.
It was nice and warm in the big circus barn, and the animals had enough to eat, so they had a very good time of it.
“Still I liked traveling about the country with George and Tom,” said Dido. “It was real jolly sleeping out of doors, except when it rained. And I like going about with the circus, too.”
“Oh, you will be able to go about again,” said Tum Tum. “When warm weather comes we shall travel once more.”
But something happened which nearly stopped all the circus animals from ever traveling about the country again.
One night Dido was awakened in his cage by a queer smell. And there was a funny feeling in his nose and throat as if he wanted to sneeze.
Dido stood up in his cage and looked across the barn. He saw smoke, and he knew what smoke was, for he had often seen Tom and George make a fire in the woods to boil coffee. And Dido saw fire with the smoke. Then he knew what the queer smell was that had made him want to sneeze. It was the smoke in his nose.
The fire grew brighter and the smoke thicker. Dido stood close to the bars of his cage and called to Tum Tum, who was asleep standing up, as elephants often do.