Then
the audience yelled while Dave dragged Ned into the dressing-room and
punched him on the nose.
Paddy Maloney made a speech. He said: "Well, the next item on the
programme'll knock y' bandy. Keep quiet, you fellows, now, an' y'll see
somethin'."
They saw Joe. He stepped backwards into the ring, pulling at a string.
There was something on the string. "Come on!" Joe said, tugging. The
"something" would n't come. "Chuck 'im in!" Joe called out. Then the
pet kangaroo was heaved in through the doorway, and fell on its head and
raised the dust. A great many ugly dogs rushed for it savagely. The
kangaroo jumped up and bounded round the ring. The dogs pursued him
noisily. "GERROUT!" Joe shouted, and the crowd stood up and became very
enthusiastic. The dogs caught the kangaroo, and were dragging him to
earth when Dad rushed in and kicked them in twos to the top of the tent.
Then, while Johnson expostulated with Dad for laming his brindle slut,
the kangaroo dived through a hole in the tent and rushed into the house
and into the bedroom, and sprang on the bed among a lot of babies and
women's hats.
When the commotion subsided Paddy Maloney rang the cow-bell again, and
Dave and "Podgy," the pet sheep, rode out on Nugget.
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