“What else did you do besides meeting Don?” asked Tum Tum, when the dancing bear had finished telling about the runaway dog.
“Oh, many things happened to me,” said Dido. “I had many adventures, as many, I think, as would fill a book.”
“Who knows?” asked Tum Tum. “Perhaps they will be put in a book. I never thought my adventures would be printed, but they were. Just you wait.”
So Dido waited, and while he waited the circus went on from place to place. People came into the big tent to look at the animals, and watch those who, like Dido, did tricks. Very often Dido’s new master would think up a different trick for Dido to do, and the bear was very anxious to please.
There was one trick Dido learned to do which he did not like at all, at first. This was jumping through a big wooden ring which had little jets of fire all around it. At least Dido thought it
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 was fire, for the jets glowed brightly, though they were not hot.
At first when his master brought out this glowing, blazing hoop, or ring, Dido shrank away from it. But his master stood on the other side of it, holding out an apple and a bun. Dido wanted both, very much, but when he walked around the outside of the hoop, instead of leaping through it to get the treat, his master put them away.
“No, no, Dido,” he said. “To get the apple and bun you must jump through the hoop. Come on. It won’t hurt you. You know I would never do anything to hurt you.”
So, after a bit, Dido did jump through the blazing hoop to get the apple, and he found he was not hurt in the least, nor burned. And, later on, he learned that around the hoop were only tiny electric lights, like those which are sometimes put on Christmas trees in place of candles, and these lights you can hold in your hand without feeling any heat.
So Dido learned a new trick, and when he did it the people in the circus tent clapped their hands loudly. By this time Dido had learned that this meant they were pleased with him.
The people also clapped when Tum Tum did his tricks, and one day Tum Tum and Dido performed a trick together. They had to practice
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 it a long while, though, before it was well done. And this was the trick:
On the broad, strong back of the jolly elephant was built a platform of boards. It was square, and made so it could be lifted on and off, being fastened on by broad straps, as are the little houses on the elephants’ backs in circus parades.
By means of a little ladder Dido and his new master could climb up to this platform on Tum Tum’s back, and there, as the big elephant marched around the ring, Dido did his dance, while the man played on the same horn that Tom had used.
Around and around on the platform up on the back of Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, rode Dido and his master. Dido did such a funny dance that he made the children laugh.
“You are a very good bear,” said his master, patting him and giving him two buns, one extra.
Dido did many other tricks in the circus as it went from place to place. But now the weather was getting cooler.
“We shall soon go to our Winter quarters,” said Tum Tum. “And then for some time we will stay in the same place, night after night.”
“Oh, I don’t mind traveling,” spoke Dido. “I rather like it.”
One day, as Dido was asleep in his cage after having done his tricks, he heard a noise near the
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 edge of the tent. It was a mewing, crying sort of noise, and, the first thing Dido knew, something small and black scrambled into his cage and hid down among the straw.
“Hello there!” called Dido, in animal language. “Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m Blackie,” was the answer. “Please don’t drive me out.”
“Of course I won’t drive you out,” said Dido kindly. “But who are you, and why is your name Blackie?”
“I am a cat, and I am called Blackie because I am black,” was the answer, and then a cat stuck her head out from under the straw in Dido’s cage, where he always went to rest after having done his tricks.
“What is the matter with you?” asked Dido. “You seem frightened.”
“I am frightened,” said Blackie. “A lot of bad boys were chasing me and throwing stones at me. I ran as fast as I could, but they nearly caught me. But I saw this big white house and I ran in it. Then I saw a place to hide under the straw in your cage-wagon, and I jumped up here.”
“And you are very welcome,” said Dido kindly. “I am glad you got away from the boys. But this is not a white house, though I thought it was myself, at first.”
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“What is it?” asked Blackie.
“It is a circus tent. If you like you may stay and see me do my tricks.”
“Thank you, I would like to stay,” spoke Blackie, “but you see I am trying to find my way home. I am lost.”
“Lost!” exclaimed Dido. “That’s what happened to Don, the runaway dog. He knows Tum Tum, our jolly elephant.”
“Was Don lost?” asked Blackie.
“Yes, but he found his home again.”
“I hope I do,” said Blackie. “I used to live with a very nice little boy and girl, who treated me kindly, and gave me warm milk for breakfast. One day I strayed too far off, went in a vacant house and was locked in. I found my way to the roof and, later, met a good lady who cared for me. She took me out to the country in a basket, but when the cover came loose I jumped out, thinking I could find my way back home alone. But I can’t seem to, and I’ve walked ever and ever so far. Then these boys chased me and I ran in here.”
“Well, I wish I could help you, but I can’t leave the circus,” said Dido. “Here is a bit of fish I didn’t need; you may have that, and perhaps you will feel better after eating.”
Blackie did. She thanked Dido very much and went to sleep in the straw of the bear’s cage.
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 One of the animal men saw her and gave her some milk to drink.
“Can’t you really stay and see me do some tricks?” asked Dido.
“No, thank you,” spoke Blackie. “I’ll just peep out of this tent, as you call it, and if the boys are gone I’ll trot along. Maybe I shall find my home to-day.”
Blackie looked out under the tent. She saw no boys.
“Good-by!” called the lost cat to Dido. “I’m going away.”
“I hope you find your home, and that I see you again,” said Dido. “Good-by!”
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