The Rover Roys on the Ocean | Page 9

could be seen of the Falcon, and they
concluded that Mumps had also taken himself off.
The morning was spent around, the hotel, in reading the newspapers
and taking it easy out on the beautiful lawn.

"Hullo, here's a novelty!" cried Tom presently, and pointed to an Italian
who was coming up to the hotel. The fellow had a small hand organ
and a trained bear and two monkeys. The monkeys were dressed in red,
white, and blue, and sat on the bear's back as he trotted along.
"He's going to give us a performance," said Sam, as the Italian came to
a halt in the center of the grounds.
"There they go I"
The music started, and at once the bear reared himself on his hind legs
and began to dance. In the meantime the monkeys climbed to the bear's
head and began a little dance of their own.
"Now for a little sport," whispered Tom, and started for the hotel.
"Be careful of yourself!" warned Dick; "That bear looks as if he wasn't
to be trifled with."
But Tom did not heed him, his whole mind being bent on having a
laugh at the expense of the Italian and his animals. Going around to the
kitchen of the hotel, he procured a couple of sugar cakes, pierced them
with pinholes, and filled them up with pepper.
When he returned he found that a crowd had gathered and the Italian
was passing around the hat. While Sam and Dick contributed several
cents, Tom gave the bear one bun and divided the other between the
two monkeys.
"Cheep! cheep!" went the monkeys, as if highly pleased.
"You're right, they are cheap," grinned Tom. "Hope you like the
flavor."
The monkeys began to eat ravenously, for they were nearly starved. But
they had not swallowed many mouthfuls before they noticed something
wrong. Then one threw his bun at Tom in a rage. A second later the
other monkey leaped back on the bear's head and began to dance and

scratch wildly, in the meanwhile scattering the bun crumbs in all
directions.
"Hi! hi! whata you do to de monks?" demanded the Italian. "You letta
de monks alone!"
"I'm not touching, the monks," replied Torn, and slipped out of sight in
the crowd.
By this time the bear had swallowed the larger portion of the bun given
to him. It was the more peppery of the two, and it brought tears to the
beast's eyes. With a roar of rage he, turned and shook the monkey from
his head and leaped away from his keeper, dragging his chain after him.
The monkeys were evidently not used to seeing the bear in an ugly
mood, and at once they sought safety by getting out of his reach. One
leaped into a tree and ran like a cat to the top, while the second
pounced on the shoulder of an elderly damsel, who looked exactly what
she was, a hot-tempered old maid.
"Oh, dear!" screamed the elderly damsel. "Take the horrid thing off!
Take it off this minute!"
"Come here, Jocko!" roared the Italian. "Come, Jocko!" and he held out
his hands.
But Jocko had no intention of coming. Instead he clung the closer, his
two forefeet in the lady's hair. The hair was largely false, and all of a
sudden a long switch came loose and fell to the ground.
At this the damsel screeched at the top of her lungs and, caught at the
hair. The monkey cried, too, in concert, and then a young man rushed
in to the rescue. But Jocko's blood was up, and, leaping to the young
man's shoulder, he tore off his straw hat and began to pull it to bits.
Then, with the hat still in his possession, he made a leap to the tree and
joined his brother at the top.
By this time the uproar was general, and it seemed to anger the bear

still more. He had been rushing over the lawn, upsetting easy chairs and
benches, but now he charged straight for the crowd.
"Look out for the bear!"
"The beast is going mad and will chew somebody up!"
"Shoot him, somebody, before we are all killed!"
Such were some of the cries which rang out. The Italian turned pale
with anger and alarm.
"No shootta Marcus!" he cried. "No shootta heem. He de goodda bear!"
"Then catch him!" put in the proprietor of the hotel. "Catch him and tie
him up."
But this the Italian could not do, and when the bear headed for him he
fan as hard as anybody present. Around and around the grounds fled the
people, some rushing for the, hotel and the others to the stables and to a
large summer house. The bear made first for one and