But, just as he said that to himself, he came down on the back of Prince, as if nothing had happened.
"Hello, here we are again!" cried Prince, running on around the sawdust ring, with Mappo on his back. "You did that trick all right."
"Yes, but the man tossed me through the paper-covered hoop," spoke Mappo, wonderingly.
"That was to show you how to do it," went on Prince. "I have seen many monkeys do that trick."
"Oh, I see," said Mappo. "There's the man with another hoop. Shall I jump right through it?"
"Yes, don't wait for him to toss you," Prince said. "Though he didn't hurt you, did he?"
"Not a bit," laughed Mappo, who rather liked doing that trick.
The circus man stood up on a little box, holding the ring, all covered with red paper, ready for Mappo to jump through. And the man would have picked Mappo up, and tossed him through the ring, only the monkey did not wait for that. Instead, he gave a jump himself, and right through the ring he went, coming down on Prince's back as nicely as you please. Prince kept right on running around the sawdust ring.
"Fine! That's the way to do it!" cried the circus man, clapping his hands. "I'll have to get you to show the other monkeys how to do it, Mappo! You're the first monkey who ever learned that trick so quickly."
I guess I told you Mappo was a smart little chap.