Besides, Miss
Booum's promise of seats for the next performance quite consoled
her.
The carriage made a curve in the yard, went through the gate, and
soon disappeared, bearing the two new travellers. As Miss Booum
had said, it did not take more than half an hour to reach the
camp, the cobs went so quickly.
On the way Mother Etienne met many acquaintances to whom she waved
a simple but cordial greeting. In most cases the carriage was
already out of sight before they recovered sufficiently from their
astonishment to wave back.
It was a nine days' wonder.
CHAPTER VII
SIR BOOUM'S CIRCUS
Our travellers came in sight of the circus. Imagine, children, a
huge encampment like a small town,--with sections, and streets,
houses of green canvas on stout poles, tall caravans on wheels
enclosing everything as though with impassable walls, and in the
centre all sorts of people, in all sorts of costumes, walking up
and down.
There were brown men, yellow men, red men, black men, big men,
little men, thin men, fat men, lame men, deformed men, men with
goitres, men covered with feathers, men covered with fur,--in
fact, men of every possible kind, size, and land,--men to suit
every possible taste.
All the most curious specimens were represented. Besides these
there was a colossal menagerie. In it there were more than twenty
elephants, giraffes, hippopotami, rhinoceroses, zebras,
dromedaries, camels, and the rarest kinds of antelopes.
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