But the bear had never seen a circus, and his education, so far as barrels were concerned, had been neglected.  The results were therefore disastrous.  The barrel rolled backwards while Bruin took a header forward.  Never in the days of his cubhood had he effected such a perfect somersault In fact, if it had been an intentional performance he could not have done it in better style.  It was such an unexpected and spontaneous feat that his thoughts went wandering again, and he looked at the barrel in a puzzled and aggrieved sort of way, as if he half suspected it of having played him some sort of practical joke.

In spite of the peril of her situation Dorothy could not restrain a peal of laughter.  A town-bred girl would doubtless have been still shaking with terror, but this was a lass o’ the prairie, accustomed to danger.  Besides, she saw now that to reach her would cost the bear more skill and agility than he appeared to possess.

The barrel, being in a species of hollow, rolled back and rocked itself into its former position.

The bear walked round it, sniffing and inspecting it in quite a professional manner.  Then, not without a certain amount of side—­also quite professional—­he prepared to have another try.

He sprang more carefully this time, but he did it so as to put the momentum the other way.  The result was that he rocked wildly backwards and forwards for about a minute, and managed to stay on the barrel as a novice might on a plunging horse, until the inevitable collapse came.  The barrel took a wilder lurch forward than it had yet done, and Bruin dived backwards this time.  He came down with such a thud, and in such an awkward position, that Dorothy made sure his neck was broken.  To tell the truth, Bruin thought so himself.  He actually had not the moral courage to move for a few moments, lest he should, indeed, find this to be the case.  Even when he did move, he was not too sure of it, and looked the very sickest bear imaginable.

But a bear’s head and neck are about the toughest things going in anatomy, so after Bruin had carefully moved his about for a little to make sure that nothing serious was the matter, he again turned his attention to the girl.  His stock of patience was by this time nearly exhausted, and he glared up at her in a peculiarly spiteful fashion.  Then, suddenly seized by a violent fit of energy, he leapt upon the barrel again with the determination to show this girl what he really could do when put to it But, owing to the previous hard usage the barrel had received, some of the staves had started, the result was that it collapsed in a most thorough manner.

In addition to the surprise and shock sustained by the bear, his limbs got inextricably mixed up with the iron hoops, and he looked for all the world as if he were performing some juggling feat with them.  One hoop had somehow got round his neck and right fore leg at the same time, while another had lodged on his hind quarters.  He fairly lost his temper and spun round and round, snapping viciously at his encumbrances.  The girl laughed as she had not laughed for many a long day.  To see the dignified animal make such an exhibition of himself over a trifle of this sort was too ludicrous.  But at last he managed to get rid of the hoops, stood erect on his hind legs, and then waddled clumsily towards the hut.