CHAPTER XVIII
WHAT FREDDIE SAW
For a few seconds Bert and Harry, his cousin, stared at the boy on thehay-wagon. Then Harry, who knew him well, asked:
"Say, Jim Bates, are you joking or did you really hear about some wildanimals escaping from the circus?"
"Indeed I'm not joking!" cried Jim. "I did hear it! Bill Snowden toldme. You know he lives over on the road that runs from Rosedale toBlaisdell and the circus went there. It went right past his house inthe night, and he looked out of his window and saw the camels andelephants and wild animal cages."
"I saw the elephants, too!" exclaimed Freddie. "I took hold of one'sbig toothpick tooth. Elephants eat hay. Were they eating any hay whenthat boy saw 'em? I wish elephants would go past our house."
"Quiet, Freddie dear, please," said Nan. "We want to hear about thewild animals. Did they really get loose?" she asked, and she lookedover her shoulder, as did Flossie and Mabel Herold.
"Well, that's what Bill Snowden said," replied Jim Bates. "Of course Ididn't see 'em run away myself, but I'm all ready for 'em, if I meetany bears, or lions or tigers," he added.
"Ready for 'em--how do you mean?" asked Bert.
"I've got a big club, and some stones," answered Jim, and he took upfrom the seat beside him a stout stick, and showed where he had made alittle pile of stones in the wagon.
"They wouldn't hurt a lion," said Freddie. "Lions or tigers aren'tafraid of sticks or stones. I'm going to get my fire engine. Itsquirts water, and wild animals is afraid of water."
"Yes, we've heard that story before," said Bert, with a laugh. "Butdon't you go out hunting for wild animals with that toy engine ofyours, Freddie!" his older brother advised.
"No, indeed," added Nan. "Oh, I think we ought to go home, Bert."
"I'm going home," said the boy on the wagon, "and if I meet anyanimals on the way; I'm going to throw stones at 'em."
"Pooh! They won't be afraid of stones," declared Freddie.
"Yes, they will, too!" declared Jim Bates. "I read in a book that abear's nose is very soft and tender, and if you hit him on it he'llhowl, and run away."
"I heard that, too," said Harry. "I hope it's true."
"Well, if a bear's nose is tender, a lion's or a tiger's must betender also," went on Jim, "and if I meet any wild animals I'm goingto hit 'em on the nose."
"That's a good idea," Bert said, with a laugh. "But how can you besure you'll hit 'em on the nose?"
"Oh, I can't be sure," admitted Jim, "but I'm a pretty good shotthrowing stones, and I've got plenty, so if I miss the first time I'llhit 'em on the nose later. There isn't any wild animal going to getme. No sir!" and he looked at the stones and his stout club.
"I should think," said Mabel Herold, "that if you had a good team ofhorses you could drive fast and get away from any wild animals youmight meet."
"Well, I could do that, too," replied the boy On the hay-wagon. "Andif I throw all my stones, and don't hit a lion or a bear on the nose,I'll whip up and get away."
"Well, I'm going to get away now," decided Nan. "Come on, Flossie andMabel. We won't go berrying to-day. Bears like blackberries, so I'veread, and no one can tell but that there might be one in the berrypatch where we are going."
"Oh, I don't think so!" exclaimed Bert. "Maybe there isn't any truthin that story after all, about the wild animals escaping. That otherboy didn't see 'em get away, did he?" asked Bert of Jim.
"No, he didn't exactly see 'em," admitted the boy on the hay-wagon,"but he heard the circus men talking in the night about how the lionand the bear and the tiger got out of their cages."
"Oh, come on home, Nan! Come on home!" begged Flossie. "This is worsethan the shooting in the moving pictures. Let's go home."
Nan was very willing to go, and so was Mabel. Freddie, too, afterthinking it over, decided that he had better go back with the girls,and get his toy fire engine ready for any possible danger.
"What do you say, Bert, shall we go back?" inquired Harry.
"Well, I don't know," slowly replied the older Bobbsey lad. "I don'treally believe in the least that any wild animals are loose, but ifthe girls aren't going berrying there's no use in us going."
"I guess that's right," agreed Tom. "No use going on alone."
And, though none of the older boys would admit it, I think they, too,were rather glad to turn back after having heard the story of theescape of the wild circus animals.
"Well, I'm all ready for 'em, if I meet any," declared Jim, as hedrove on, having told the news.
On the way back Bert and the others met several farmers who knew Harryor Tom, and each of these men said they had also heard the story ofthe escape of a lion, tiger and bear.
"And if they are loose, some of us may miss some cattle or sheep,"declared Mr. Ames, who lived not far from Uncle Daniel. "I think wefarmers will have to get up a hunting party."
"I'd like to come," broke in Freddie. "I've got a fire engine, andwild animals is afraid--"
"That will do, dear," said Nan, gently putting her finger across hislips. "Little boys can't go hunting wild animals."
By the time the Bobbsey twins and their friends had almost reachedMeadow Brook, on their way back, they had met several persons--men orboys--who spoke of having heard of the escape of the circus animals.
When the children came up the gravel walk of the farmhouse, Mrs.Bobbsey, seeing them from the side porch, where she was sitting,stringing beans for supper, called out:
"Well you are back early. Did you get many berries?"
"We didn't get any, mother," said Nan. "We--"
"It's wild animals!" burst out Freddie, unable to keep quiet anylonger. "A lion, a tiger and a bear! They got away from the circus,and they--they--"
"What's all this?" interrupted Aunt Sarah, coming out with her sewingin her hands.
Then, by turns, with many interruptions from Freddie, the story wastold. Dinah listened with wide-opened eyes, and if she could haveturned pale I think she would have done so. But of course she couldnot, for she was the color of a chocolate cake, and had to stay thatway.
"Oh, I don't believe a word of it!" exclaimed Uncle Daniel, when heheard the tale. "Every time a circus comes to town there is a story ofwild animals escaping, but I've never seen any yet. I don't believe itat all!"
But the children did, and later, when Uncle Daniel came back from avisit to the village store that evening, he had to admit that severalpersons had spoken to him about the wild beasts being loose.
"Hadn't you better see if your shot gun is loaded?" his wife askedhim.
"Well, I will, if it will make you feel any easier," he agreed. "Butthere's no danger of any of them coming near here, even if they haveescaped, which I don't believe."
The children were rather frightened that night, and would not go farfrom the porch to play in the moonlight, which they usually did beforegoing to bed.
Of course Bert and Harry were not as frightened as were Flossie andFreddie, but they looked nervously over their shoulders at the darkplaces under the bushes as they passed them.
Freddie, true to his promise, got out his toy fire engine, and filledthe tank with water, winding up the spring that worked the pump andsent out the stream from the little rubber hose.
"Now I'm ready for a lion or a tiger or a bear," he said.
"Well, don't dream of them," said his mother. "Now it's time for bed."
Whether the talk of the circus animals had made Freddie nervous, orwhether he did dream of them, he could not clearly tell afterward. Allhe knew was that he did not sleep well, and, some time after going tobed he awakened with a start.
There was no light in his room, but the moon shone in. He could lookacross to where Flossie was asleep in her crib.
Then Freddie heard a noise. It came from outside and sounded like:"Wuff!"
"Oh! Oh!" whispered Freddie to himself. "That's him! That's one of thewild animals! It's a bear! That's how bears go--'wuff!' Oh, it's come,and what shall I do!"
He sat up in bed listening. He heard the noise again!
"Wuff! Wuff!"
Then Freddie decided he must be brave. Without waking Flossie, thelittle fellow slid from bed, and crossed to the window. The bear, ifsuch it was, could not be in his room. He was sure of that, for theplace was made bright by the moonlight that streamed in the window.
Over to this window Freddie went. He looked out, and as he did so, hesaw something shaggy and black walk under the lilac bush in front ofthe house.
"There he is!" whispered Freddie to himself. Then in his shrillchildish voice he called loud:
"Mamma! Bert! Nan! It's come! The bear! He's out in front under thebush! Oh! Oh! Oh!"
The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook Page 18
