Shaggo looked out through the bars of his cage and saw a man coming along with a big basket, and Shaggo could smell that the basket held good things to eat. But, somehow or other, the buffalo, as he had said, was not hungry. He felt rather ill, and as he twisted his eyes to get a look at his shoulder, he saw that the lump on it was much larger.
“And it hurts worse, too,” said Shaggo to himself. “I haven’t felt exactly well since I gave that big jump and sailed over the wire fence away from the range. It surely must be a punishment on me for leaving Bumpo, Rumpo and the other buffaloes.”
But by this time the man with the basket was in front of the bear’s cage. He picked out some buns, the man did, and held them up for Dido to see. Shaggo could also see them.
“Now then, Dido!” cried the zoo keeper, “here are some of the nice buns you like. Let me see you dance and do some of your tricks before I give you any. Dance for the boys and girls!”
Then Shaggo noticed that, following the man around as he fed the animals were a number of boys and girls who had come to the zoo as a sort of picnic. They were allowed to come in and see the animals eat.
“Dance for the boys and girls, Dido,” called the man.
Shaggo did not understand this talk, but the bear seemed to do so, for he shuffled to the front of his cage.
“Hi there, Shaggo, watch me if you want to see some fun!” called Dido to the buffalo in the next cage. “This is one of my tricks. I do it nearly every day. Watch me and perhaps you can learn to dance.”
“No, I don’t believe I can,” replied Shaggo. He and Dido talked in animal language, which, of course, neither the keeper nor the boys and girls could understand. “My shoulder is too sore for me to dance,” went on the buffalo.
But Dido was not troubled that way, and soon he was sliding about his cage, doing a funny, shuffling dance, waving his head from side to side, and holding out his paws like a begging dog. Around and around his cage went the bear, while the boys and girls, gathered out in front, laughed as they watched the funny antics of the trained bear.