in the Skylark.

"Shut up," continued the Lion, even more fiercely. "This banquet has not
been adjourned yet. Why are so many of you standing and running about?
Everybody sit down! I want you to understand that this is a continuous
performance--booked for forty days and forty nights--and if some one
does not perform pretty soon, I'll take a hand in the entertainment
myself!"

Everybody knew what that meant. There was only one kind of entertainment
that the Lion knew anything about, and that was eating. He was very good
at that, and he cast his eyes about on the smaller animals gathered at
the board. But the warning was sufficient; there was a grand rush for
seats again, and a general inclination to be entertaining was displayed
by all. Tommy and his companions got their old places, but the Gopher
was so frightened that he retained his seat with difficulty, and he
trembled so that he was unable to keep his sun-bonnet on straight.

In the mean time the Lion was scowling and waiting for some one to
volunteer. His eyes fell on the shaking Gopher, and he said, grimly,

"Don't you know another joke?"

The poor little animal almost fainted with fright, and for lack of a
better inspiration he pointed at the ex-Pirate and gasped,

"_He_ knows _lots_ of things!"

And so the King of Beasts, who was rapidly losing patience, glared at
the ex-Pirate and roared,

"Do something!"

The ex-Pirate hesitated; but Tommy, who was not feeling at all
comfortable, whispered:

"Give them Abou-Ben-Din!"

"That's a pretty risky thing to do," answered his neighbor; "but I guess
I shall have to. I can't think of anything else." And so he arose in his
customary way, and bowing to all, announced that he would recite another
selection from his autobiography entitled,

THE BALLAD OF ABOU-BEN-DIN.

_Oh, there's many a tale that I like to tell,
And many a yarn to spin,
But there's none I love one-half so well
As the story of Abou-Ben-Din._

For Abou-Ben-Din was a terrible man,
A blood-thirsty wretch through and through;
A pirate on quite an original plan,
And he captained a terrible crew.

Not a _man_ did he have on his swift-sailing craft,
But a hundred and ten wild beasts,
That snarled on the deck while Abou stood aft,
And steered them toward movable feasts.

For all day the brutes, with eyes opened wide,
Would eagerly watch for a sail,
And as soon as their vessel was brought alongsid