THE FINISH
In the warmth of the sun upon the mountain side anger and fear
evaporated, and the morning breeze blew away all memory of that horrid
night.
Every one's spirits rose sky-high. 'Come along!' cried Baby Jane.
'Breakfast.' And the Queen, her court, and the army took hands and
skipped to a dancing tune all the way down the mountain. The very
prisoners under escort, even the crossest camel--though they tried to
look proud and cold--could not resist a little sulky hop between each
step; and the damaged Lion, riding pick-a-back on the Bear, joggled
gaily up and down till he nearly upset his steed.
Upon the velvety slope of the foot-hills that ran out into the flat
white desert the breathless multitude all sat down to breakfast. Of
course, the Black Mountain beasts had to pretend they did not like
vegetarian fare; but, for all that, they gobbled in a way that shocked
the well-brought-up pupils of Baby Jane, especially the Rabbit--in fact,
that creature kept up a continual flow of shrill reproof--'Small
mouthfuls!' 'Shut your mouth!'--and rapped all the knuckles he could
reach with a long stick when they were stretched rudely for food, until
Baby Jane boxed his ears and told him to mind his own business.
When they had all finished and were brushing the crumbs from their laps,
Baby Jane thought it a good time to speak seriously to them.
'I _am_ so glad you're all good now,' she said. 'Do you know, even when
I was quite little I always thought some of you _looked_ so nice and
thoughtful in your cages; and as you don't know how to _pretend_, of
course you must _really_ be nice if you could only be understood and
taught better.
'But I really never thought that all you great wild animals would listen
to a little girl; and yet, after all, it has come true! Oh, there _is_
something in the world besides fighting and crying. Poor dears, you
shall know it now. I and my old friends the Lion and the others know
such a lot of fun, and we will teach it to you.
'And if any of you _aren't_ good,' she couldn't help adding to herself,
'we'll teach you something nasty,' for she did not sincerely like the
look of the rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses. 'Come along,' she cried
aloud, forgetting her suspicions. 'Now let us have a dance.'
And with that she and her friends, who were bursting with pride at the
idea of helping to teach, came skipping down the slope, and began
arranging the beasts for a sort of country dance.
'Choose your partners,' cried Baby Jane, 'and don't be shy!'
Of course her little voice was never heard by the more distant
creatures; her messages were passed from mouth to mouth, and it was odd
to hear a gruff buffalo roaring in the distance--
'Choose your partners, and don't be shy!'
At first no one would venture, and it was the Rabbit who gave them a
lead. He walked up to the tallest lady giraffe he could find, he did,
crooked his arm to lead her out, and--
'May I have the pleasure?' said he, as bold as brass.
But right away up there she did not hear him, so, growing impatient, he
grasped her leg, and up he went hand over hand. Then he proceeded up her
neck, and when, after five minutes' climbing, his face was level with
hers, he squeaked at the top of his voice--
[Illustration: 'May--I--have--the--pleasure?']
'May--I--have--the--pleasure?'
The giraffe started violently.
'Oh, my gracious!' she said. 'I thought it was a beetle running up me!'
And then, unluckily, the Rabbit's whiskers tickled her nose, and she
sneezed him twenty yards away on to the ground.
'That's the worst of these tall girls,' said he. 'They make a man feel
so small.' And he picked himself up and went and danced with a merry
little marmoset.
The Bear danced with a pleasant but homely zebra, and Mary with an
ostrich, with whom she flirted scandalously. Sammy said he was not a
dancing man, and, quietly departing, he loaded his barrow with oranges;
and later on, sad to relate, drove a roaring trade among the poor heated
beasts, taking all their little valuables in exchange for his goods. He
was not selfish, simply a born man of business. However, you can imagine
he took marvellous good care not to come near Baby Jane.
When the last nervous gnu had led out his bashful bustard the dance
began. Whichever way Baby Jane turned she looked down long lines of
swaying dancers with light feet leaping all in time--it made her head
swim with excitement; and the tune of the whistling rabbits came lilting
and trilling across the plain, and filled her heart with glee.
She had been only watching the fun to keep her poor bandaged Lion
company, but her feet were twitching to be off. She glanced at him, and
found that he was glancing at her.
'Come along!' said he suddenly; and the next instant they were dancing
as if for dear life. And, strange to say, though the Lion's bandages
all slipped off, his bones remained quite straight. So wonderful was
the air of this land and so splendid his constitution that they had
mended themselves already!
The puffing of that crowd when it at last came to a stop sounded like a
stationful of shunting engines. They were all very hot, and also very
thirsty.
'Let's race for the river,' cried Baby Jane.
Then the Lion tossed her on to his back, and half of the others having
got on the other half's backs--sometimes two beasts each tried to get on
to the other's back at the same time--the whole army started off at a
tearing gallop.
Miss Crocodile led for a short distance, for she was wonderfully quick
on her legs, and had rather meanly refused to carry any one. After a
while, inch by inch, the Lion, who was the fastest creature on that
desert, overhauled and passed her.
'Anyhow, I've beaten that Rabbit!' she screamed. 'He thinks he's a
regular race-horse.'
'And so he is,' said that creature, jumping off her own tail, where he
and Patsey had been riding unnoticed. 'Why, just look at this!'
And with that, being fresh as paint, he sailed away from her, and left
her gasping all the rude things she could think of after him.
[Illustration: She tripped on to her chin.]
Of course the Lion and Baby Jane came in first, but the Rabbit and
Patsey were second. Mary Carmichael would have been third, but she
tripped on to her chin and grazed it badly, and was passed by a little
black panther riding a gnu.
When they had all refreshed themselves, in high delight with the
pleasure Baby Jane had given them, they swarmed round the foot of a
hillock, where she stood beneath a palm that hung its boughs like a
canopy over her, looking up at her and waiting for more fun.
Suddenly the Lion came out of the crowd, and, followed by the other
friends, rushed half-way up the slope towards her; then, turning to the
great multitude, he swung aloft a cocoa-nut goblet and roared in a voice
that echoed among the mountains--
'A health to her Majesty!'
Surely never before had human child seen the sight that followed! Ten
thousand wild animals--fifty 'Zoos' let loose--crowding nearly to the
horizon, flung up their paws and roared her name with one tremendous
voice.
* * * * *
It was ever so: at the moment of triumph comes the fall, and the royal
Queen becomes the no-account nursery child.
Before the last echo of that great shout had died away among the distant
cliffs an agitated animal came pushing through the crowd with the
tidings that a fat man was coming along from the eastward. With one
accord the whole company ran out to have a look at him.
There he was--a stout, stately man, pacing soberly over the desert; and
at the sight of him Baby Jane cried in a tone of bitter annoyance--
'Why, it's Markham!'
[Illustration: 'Why, it's Markham!']
Then, after standing for a moment with face bowed down, trying to
restrain her tears, she rushed behind the Lion and the Bear, and,
crouching between them, burst into loud and decidedly unqueenlike
weeping.
'Why do they send for me?' she sobbed, 'just when everything has come
right, and I am having such fun and have grown so fond of my beasts?'
Her two big friends were much disturbed by her grief. 'Oh, don't cry,
please, don't cry,' they said, and tried to dry her eyes with a corner
of her own frock. 'We aren't very hungry, but, if you like, we will try
and manage him.'
In the meanwhile Mr. Markham, the butler (for such he was), was equally
upset.
'Mercy on us!' he said, 'what mischief will that child come into next?
There she is, now, just going to be eaten up by roaring lions, as sure
as I'm alive!'
But he did not seem sure of being alive very long, for he found himself
in a square--or as near it as could be got by one naturally formed in a
circle--and prepared for his last dinner party.
After a little while, seeing that the terrible beasts did not seem
immediately inclined to dine on him, and that Miss Jane was actually
hiding among them, his natural self-possession returned to him.
'Miss Jane! Miss Jane!' he called, speaking slowly and with dignity,
'your mamma wishes you to come home at once. She is very vexed with you
being out so long--and without your hat, too! And I don't think she
would at all like your playing with strange animals.'
'Who's a strange animal?' cried Mary Carmichael sharply.
'Oh, no offence, no offence,' said the butler, making a stiff little
bow, 'but my instructions is that the young lady is to come home at
once. Your mamma says,' he went on slowly, addressing Baby Jane, 'that
she has allowed you to spend your holidays where you please, but you
should have been home when lessons began again. They are looking for you
everywhere. Peter has gone to Peru, and Miss McColl is in the Western
Hebrides. But I said to Mrs. Cook, "When young ladies who is as fond of
lions and bears as our Miss Jane goes travelling, those who aren't quite
devoid of intellect will know where to find them. Miss Jane is in
Africa."'
'I suppose I must go,' said Baby Jane, with dismal little sniffs for
commas. 'Oh, my dear beasts, what lovely times I have had with you! I
will come back; oh yes, I will come back, or you shall come to me, and
we will all live together in a cottage in the country and have great
times and astonish all the neighbours. Oh, send me a message by the
Swallows--I know they come over the sea from here--if ever you want me
badly.'
She patted Miss Crocodile, and kissed the Piccaninny once on his
forehead; then she put her arms round the neck of the Lion, and of the
Bear, and the Rabbit and Patsey, and kissed them twenty times, and then
walked unsteadily away towards Mr. Markham.
He in the meanwhile had been in close conference with Sammy, Mary, and
Edouardo, who had all applied for situations in Baby Jane's household,
and he had promised to recommend them--Sammy and Edouardo to help the
gardener, and Mary as a 'stylish horse to draw a victoria'--as she
described herself.
Then, with Baby Jane and Sammy in the barrow, and Markham riding Mary,
the little party wended its way back towards the tame ordinary world.
When Baby Jane last saw her well-beloved beasts they were standing upon
a knoll like a row of black statues against the setting sun.
'Be very good. I'll come back soon!' she cried. And they answered like
an echo--
'Come back soon!'
* * * * *
Now, you may wonder that Baby Jane's mother should allow so young a
person to spend her holidays where and how she chose, but you will agree
with me that if all parents were as liberal-minded there would be many
exciting adventures to relate. For instance, if you were given this
liberty, what would you do?
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The fruit of the _Palma muffinifera_.
* * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
Inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been retained from
the original.
Punctuation has been corrected without note.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected as follows:
Page 101: "or" changed to "of"