Mappo did not very well understand what this meant, but he made up his mind he would do whatever was asked of him, and that he would do it as well as he could.

A few days later some little Shetland ponies were brought into the barn, and Mappo was placed on the back of one of them.  The pony was a little larger than Prince, and Mappo was farther from the ground.  But the little monkey had climbed tall trees in the jungle, and he was not afraid of going up even on an elephant’s back.  So, of course, he was not afraid on Trotter, the pony.

A blanket was strapped on Trotter’s back, and as there was an iron ring in the strap, Mappo stuck his tail through that, and so held on.  The other monkeys, who were also to ride ponies, saw what Mappo was doing, and they did the same thing.

“Ha!  It’s good to have a smart monkey in the circus,” said the man.  “He shows the others what to do.”

Mappo was so smart, and such a good rider, that he easily took the lead in the race, and kept it.  The ponies ran faster than the dogs had done, but, even then, neither Mappo nor any of the other monkeys fell off, for their tails were in the iron rings of the straps.

“Well, how are you coming on?” asked Tum Tum of Mappo one day, when they were resting after having eaten their dinners.

“Fine!” answered Mappo.  “I can do many tricks now.  What are you learning?”

“Oh, many things,” answered Tum Tum.  “I have to play ball, grind a hand-organ with my trunk and make music, I have to play soldier, march around, and stand up on my hind legs and on my head.”

“Is it hard work?” asked Mappo.

“Yes, but I like it,” said Tum Tum.  And some day soon, in another book, I shall tell you the many adventures of Tum Tum, the jolly elephant.

“Well, now for a new trick,” said the circus man to Mappo, one morning.  “Soon it will be time for the circus to go out on the road, under the big tents, and I want you to do many tricks for the boys and girls.”

“I’ll do all I can!” chattered Mappo, in his monkey language.

This time, after he had ridden around the ring once or twice on the back of Prince, the circus man brought out some big wooden hoops, covered with paper.

“You are to jump through these, Mappo,” said the man.  “Come, let me see how you can do it.”  Mappo was riding on Prince’s back.  All of a sudden, as Prince went around the sawdust ring, he came near to one of the rings the man held out.  Mappo did not in the least know what he was to do, but, all at once, the man caught him up off the dog’s back, and fairly tossed him through the paper ring.  The paper burst with a crackling noise, and Mappo felt himself falling.

“Oh dear!” thought the little monkey, “I wonder where I shall land!”

CHAPTER IX

MAPPO RUNS AWAY

Mappo was so surprised, as he felt himself fairly flying through the paper hoop, that he did not know exactly what was happening.