“I wonder when it will come my turn to do tricks?” thought Mappo.  His turn soon came.  The kind circus man who had taught the little monkey, came and dressed him up in a nice red suit, with a little red cap.  Then Prince, the dog, was led in, wearing a fine yellow blanket.

“Now for the race!” cried the man, as Mappo jumped up on Prince’s back.  The other monkeys jumped up on the backs of other dogs, and, as the band played, off they ran.

Mappo liked it very much, especially when the children laughed and clapped their hands, for he was glad he had pleased them.  Faster and faster went the racing dogs, and Mappo and Prince won.

Then came the jumping through the paper hoops, first from the backs of dogs, and, afterward backs of the ponies.  In all of these tricks Mappo did very well.

[Illustration:  He rode around a little wooden platform on the bicycle, holding a flag over his shoulder. (Page 99)]

Then Mappo did his other tricks—­turning somersaults, standing on his head, and even riding a little bicycle the man had made for him.  That was Mappo’s best trick, and one that ended his part of the circus.  He rode around a little wooden platform on the bicycle, holding a flag over his shoulder, and my! how the children did laugh at that.

Mappo did not see all the circus.  As soon as his act was over, he was taken back to his cage, but he was not chained up.  His keeper knew he could trust Mappo not to run away.

Mappo wandered around the animal tent.  After a while he came to where the tiger’s cage stood.

“Ah ha!  There you are!” snarled Sharp-Tooth, the striped tiger, as he saw Mappo.  “You’re the monkey who is to blame for my being here.”

“I to blame!  How?” asked Mappo.

“Yes, you are to blame,” went on Sharp-Tooth.  “You wouldn’t open my cage, and let me out when we were in the jungle.  Never mind!  I’ll fix you!  When I get out of here—­and some day I’m going to break loose—­when I get out of here, I’ll bite you.”

“Oh dear!” thought Mappo.  “I hope that never happens!” and he went off to talk to Tum Tum, the jolly elephant.

For nearly a week the circus traveled from town to town, Mappo doing his tricks very well indeed.  Once again Sharp-Tooth, the tiger, said to the monkey chap: 

“Oh, wait until I get hold of you.  I was nearly out of my cage last night.  To-night I’ll be out for sure, and then I’ll fix you!”

Poor Mappo was frightened.  The more he thought of the tiger getting loose and biting him, the more frightened he became.  And that day, as Mappo was riding along in his own cage in the circus wagon, he thought he heard the tiger getting loose from the big cage.

“Oh, he’ll get me, sure!” cried Mappo.  He looked up.  The door of his cage was open the least little bit.  Mappo pulled it open wider with his paws, and then, when none of the circus men was looking, Mappo slipped out, and dropped down to the road.