“Tum Tum!” called Dido in animal talk, “the circus barn is on fire! The barn is on fire! What shall we do?”
Tum Tum awoke with a start. He looked at the fire, which was in one end of the barn, farthest off from the animal cages.
“Oh, my! A fire!” cried Tum Tum. “That is terrible! We must get out somehow!”
“That is easy for you to do,” cried Dido, “for you are not in a cage. But what shall I do?”
“We must call to the circus men to come and let you caged animals out,” said Tum Tum. “I’ll call,” and he made a loud trumpet noise.
“They had better hurry,” said Dido. “The fire is growing hotter. Once my masters made a fire in the woods, and it spread in the dry leaves so they had to get water and put it out. Oh, Tum Tum, can’t you let me out of my cage?”
“Yes,” said Tum Tum, “I will. I can open many animal cages with my trunk.” Tum Tum was a trick elephant and could do many things. [He soon had opened the cage of the dancing bear, and Dido could jump out.] By this time the other animals were much excited by the fire. Some of them broke out of their cages by themselves. Others Tum Tum let out, helped by Dido.
[He soon had opened the cage of the dancing bear and Dido jumped out.]