hing for me?"

Don Enrique threw back his head and laughed.

"Man," he said, "you must be mad! You would be killed at once. One has
to be trained for years to become a proper bullfighter."

"Supposing I were willing to take the risk of that--You are not afraid,
I take it, to accept my offer?"

The Spaniard frowned.

"Afraid!" he cried, "Sir, if you can beat Pepito de Malaga in the
bull-ring I'll promise you anything it is possible for me to grant."

"Very good," said the Doctor, "now I understand that you are quite a
powerful man in these islands. If you wished to stop all bullfighting
here after to-morrow, you could do it, couldn't you?"

"Yes," said Don Enrique proudly--"I could."

"Well that is what I ask of you--if I win my wager," said John Dolittle.
"If I can do more with angry bulls than can Pepito de Malaga, you are
to promise me that there shall never be another bullfight in the Capa
Blancas so long as you are alive to stop it. Is it a bargain?"

The Spaniard held out his hand.

"It is a bargain," he said--"I promise. But I must warn you that you
are merely throwing your life away, for you will certainly be killed.
However, that is no more than you deserve for saying that bullfighting
is an unworthy sport. I will meet you here to-morrow morning if you
should wish to arrange any particulars. Good day, Sir."

As the Spaniard turned and walked into the shop with the bed-maker,
Polynesia, who had been listening as usual, flew up on to my shoulder
and whispered in my ear,

"I, have a plan. Get hold of Bumpo and come some place where the Doctor
can't hear us. I want to talk to you."

I nudged Bumpo's elbow and we crossed the street and pretended to look
into a jeweler's window; while the Doctor sat down upon his bed to lace
up his boots, the only part of his clothing he had taken off for the
night.

"Listen," said Polynesia, "I've been breaking my head trying to think up
some way we can get money to buy those stores with; and at last I've got
it."

"The money?" said Bumpo.

"No, stupid. The idea--to make the money with. Listen: the Doctor is
simply bound to win this game to-morrow, sure as you're alive. Now all
we have to do is to make a side bet with these Spaniards--they're great
on gambling--and the trick's done."

"What's a side bet?" I asked.

"Oh I know what that is," said Bumpo proudly. "We used to have lots of
them at Oxford when boat-racing was on. I go to Don Enrique and say,
'I bet