Music]

And it set them all to spinning, and the music was so winning
That they wined them and they dined them until half past four!"

"Wait! wait!" called the woman with the baby under her arm, "I'm all out
of breath."

"No, no!" shouted the children and all the others. "Go on! Go on!"

So once more and yet another time the unwearied musicians repeated their
performance, and then Bo politely passed his hat to the dancers. When he
had been to each one his hat was heavy with some money and many useful
articles.

"Bring your Bear down out of the tree," said the blacksmith, "and we
will give you a feast on the common."

Bo beckoned to Horatio to climb down, but the big fellow hesitated.

The temptation of a feast, however, was too much for him.

[Illustration: ONCE MORE AND YET ANOTHER TIME.]

That night, when they had both danced again for the people and Horatio
had given them an acrobatic exhibition, they strolled away through the
evening loaded down with luxuries of all kinds. The villagers went with
them to the outskirts, and called good luck after them. As they passed
into the quiet shadows of the forest they once more heard the barking
of dogs in the distance behind them.

"We have had a good day, Bosephus," said Horatio, with a long sigh of
satisfaction. "We are on the road to fortune. To be sure, there are
little thorns along the way--"

"Dogs, for instance--and guns."

"Trifles, Bosephus; trifles. Don't give them a second thought. Of course
you are only a little boy as yet, and will outgrow these fears."

"And learn to climb trees."

"I hope you don't think I climbed that tree out of fear, Bosephus. I
merely went up there to get a better view of my audience. One should
always rise above his audience. And now let us sing softly together as
we go. It will rest us after our day of conquest."

And touching the strings lightly and singing softly together, the
friends sought leisurely their evening camp. Here and there a light
rustle in the bushes showed that the forest people were listening, and
the leaves of the forest whispered in time to their melody.

CHAPTER IV

THE DANCE OF THE FOREST PEOPLE

[Illustration: Music]

"Oh! the night was warm and the moon was bright,
And we pitched our camp in the pale moonlight;

[Illustration: Music]

In the pale moonlight and the green, green shade,
And we counted up together all the money we had made."

THE little boy j