“Oh, I guess I did that,” said Nero with a loud, rumbling lionish laugh. “I wanted to see if I could toss it from my cage into yours, Tamba, and I did. So the water splashed on you, did it?”
“Yes, it did! You know it did!” growled Tamba. “It made me sneeze, too!”
“Oh, did it?” asked Nero. “Well, that was just a little joke of mine, my tiger friend. I wanted to see if I could tickle your nose the way you tickled mine with your tail. It was only a joke, splashing water on your nose. Only a joke! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
“Yes, it was only a joke!” said Tum Tum and all the other animals. “Only a joke, Tamba! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Of course the striped tiger had to laugh, too, for really he had not been hurt, and he must expect to have a joke played on him after he had played one on Nero.
“Well, I’ll gnaw this bone after I take a drink,” said Tamba, as he dried his nose on his paw. “Much obliged to you for tossing it into my cage, Nero.”
“Oh, you’re very welcome, I’m sure!” laughed the lion. “Oh, you did jump and sneeze in such a funny way, Tamba, when the water went up your nose!” and Nero laughed again, as he thought of it.
And “Ha! Ha! Ha!” echoed Tum Tum.
And so life went on for the circus animals, something a little different happening every day. Now and then Tamba played other tricks, and so did Nero, and the first crossness of Tamba seemed to wear off. He was still as anxious as ever to go to the jungle, but he did not see how he could get out of his cage. He watched carefully, every day, hoping that some time the man who came in to make him do his tricks would forget to fasten the door when he went out.