He was not such a very large lion, but he certainly
had a full-sized roar, and the driver of the cage sat and grinned at us.
"You've no right to be on the road with a lion roaring like that!"
Willis shouted severely.
"Wal, young feller, you've no right to be on the road with such a hog
smell as that!" the driver retorted. "Our lion is the best-behaved in
the world; he wouldn't ha' roared ef he hadn't smelt them hogs so
strong."
"But you have damaged us!" I cried. "Our horses have run away and
smashed things! You'll have to pay for this!"
Another man, who appeared to be the proprietor, now came from a wagon in
the rear of the cavalcade.
"What's that about damages?" he cried. "I'll pay nothing! I have a
permit to travel on the highway!"
"You have no right to scare horses!" Willis retorted. "Your lion made a
horrible noise."
"His noise wasn't worse than your hog stench!" the showman rejoined
hotly. "My lion has as good a right to roar as your hogs have to squeal.
Drive on!" he shouted to his drivers.
The show moved forward. The Fat Lady looked back and laughed, and the
Wild Man pretended to squeal like a pig; but the gypsy fortune teller
smiled and said, "Too bad!"
Having got no satisfaction, we returned hastily to chase our runaway
team.
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