t themselves to make things
unpleasant for him.

"Ought to ha' been a lord or summat of the sort," this worthy sneered
one day as Phil passed the doorway round which they were lounging.
"Thinks he owns the show--that's what it is. I'll take the gent down;
see if I don't, and right away too. Hi, you, Phil Western, or
whatever's yer name," he shouted, "come here! I want to speak to yer.
Now look here, Mr Dook, you're a pretty fine bird, but where do you
come from? That's what we're arter. Chaps of your sort don't take to
being hands in a menagerie every day, and that's the truth, I reckon. I
suppose yer wanted to hide away. That's it, ain't it?"

Now Phil had often been annoyed by this same young man, who went by the
name of "Tony", and in particular by the jeering way in which he shouted
names and various other pleasantries after him every time he happened to
pass.

"You want to know where I come from," he replied calmly, standing close
to the circle. "Then I'm afraid you will have to want."

"Eh! What! Have to want, shall I?" Tony growled. "Now none of yer
cheek. You're too proud, that's what you are, my young peacock, and
you've got to get taken down."

"That's possible," Phil rejoined, and was on the point of turning away
to avoid a quarrel when the pleasant Tony sprang to his feet and
shouting "Possible! Should just about think it is!" grasped him by the
arm and swung him round till they faced one another.

"Leave go!" cried Phil, losing his temper.

"Sha'n't till I've took yer down," Tony snapped.

"Then take that!" and Phil dashed his fist into the young man's face.

A scuffle at once ensued, and after a short and fiercely contested
round, a ring was formed. But at this moment the owner of the menagerie
put in an appearance and stopped the fight, with the natural result that
there was bad blood between Phil and Tony from that day, and the latter
never ceased to vow that he would have an ample revenge for the black
eye he had received.

Now Tony had another disagreeable trait. Besides being a bully, he was
also cruel, and took every opportunity of teasing a big brown bear which
happened to be his special charge. The more Bruin snarled and showed
his teeth, the harder Tony prodded him with his stick, till at times the
poor beast was almost mad with rage. It was a dangerous game to play,
and could have but one ending, and that was within an ace of being a
fatal one for Tony.

It happene