“Now we’ll try it faster to-day,” said the man, after Mappo had been in the circus about a week.  “Run, Prince, and give Mappo a fast ride.”

Off started Prince, almost before Mappo was ready for him.  And, just as you might expect, Mappo fell off and rolled over and over in the sawdust.

“Chatter-chatter-chat!  Bur-r-r-r!  Buz-z-z-z-z!  Wur-r-r-r-r!” went Mappo, excitedly.

“Bow wow!” barked Prince, capering about.

“Hold on!  That’s not the way to do it!  You must hold on tightly!” cried the circus man.

“Did you hurt yourself, Mappo?” asked Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, who was resting, after having stood up on his hind legs.  He had seen Mappo fall.

“No,” answered the monkey, “I didn’t hurt myself, but I don’t like to fall that way.  I don’t like that trick.”

“Never mind,” spoke Tum Tum kindly.  “The next time you do it, and Prince runs fast, just wrap your tail around him, as you used to wrap it around a tree limb in the big jungle.  Then you won’t fall.”

“That’s a good idea—­I’ll do it!” cried Mappo.

[Illustration:  Around and around in a ring went Prince carrying Mappo.  (Page 87)]

“Now we’ll try it again,” said the circus man.  “Go a bit slower this time, Prince.”

“Bow wow!  I will!” barked the dog.

Once more Mappo took his place on the red blanket on the dog’s back.  He took the reins in his little paws, that were almost like your hands, and then, remembering what Tum Tum had said to him, Mappo wound his tail around the neck of Prince, but not so tightly as to hurt him.

“Bow wow!  What are you doing that for?” asked the dog.  He knew how to speak so Mappo would understand him.

“I am doing it so I will not fall off when you run fast, Prince,” answered Mappo.

“Ha!  Ha!  Very good!” laughed Prince, in the only way dogs can laugh, which is by barking softly.  “That’s a good trick, little monkey.  If other monkeys were as smart as you they would learn their lessons more quickly.  Now hold on tight, for I am going to run!”

“I will!” promised Mappo.

The circus man looked at what Mappo had done.

“That is a smart little monkey,” he said.  “Now he will not fall.”

And this time, when Prince started off, and ran very fast around the sawdust ring, Mappo did not fall off.  His tail, which was as good as a hand to him, was wrapped about the neck of Prince, and kept Mappo from slipping.

Mappo could now do the dog-riding trick very well.  No matter how fast Prince ran, the monkey would not fall off.  A few days later more dogs and other monkeys were brought into the circus ring in the big barn, and they, too, raced around.  But none of them could go as fast as Mappo and Prince, and, each time, they won the race around the sawdust ring.

“That certainly is a smart little monkey!” the circus man would say over and over again.  “I shall teach him many tricks.  I will now see how he can ride on the back of a pony, and, after that, I will teach him to jump through paper hoops.”