"Sir," replied the Hippopotamus solemnly, "I shall not jump. It would ill
comport with my dignity for me to try to jump as if I were merely a
Kangaroo. No sir. Here I sit, firm as a rock. You might as well ask an
elephant to dance a jig."

"We'll put you off if you don't get off of your own accord," roared the
Polar Bear, bracing up, and removing the icicle from his nose he shook it
angrily at the Hippopotamus.

"All right," said the Hippopotamus with a pleasant smile "All right. Has
any gentleman brought a derrick along with him to assist in the operation?
You don't happen to have a freight elevator in your pocket, do you, Mr.
Kangaroo?"

"Pry him off, Poker," cried the Kangaroo.

"I would if I could," answered the Poker, mournfully. "But I'm not a
crowbar."

"Well, then, all together here," shouted the Man from Saturn. "Line up and
we'll shove him off."

There was a frantic rush at the stolid Hippopotamus in response to this
suggestion, but they might as well have tried to batter down the rock of
Gibraltar by hurling feathers against it, so firmly fixed in his seat was
this passenger of outrageous weight.

"Come again, gentlemen," said the Hippopotamus suavely. "There's nothing
better for the complexion than a good rub, and I assure you you have
placed me under an obligation to you."

"Prod him with the icicle," said the Kangaroo to the Polar Bear.

"I am not to be moved by tears, even if they are frozen and sharpened to a
point," laughed the Hippopotamus, as the Polar Bear did as he was told,
smashing the icicle without so much as denting the Hippo's flesh.

"Well, if you won't jump, I will," said the Man from Saturn angrily. "If
I'm hurt I'll take it out of your hide when we meet again."

"All right," retorted the Hippopotamus. "You'll have to get a steam drill
and blast it out. By-by."

The man from Saturn jumped and landed head first in the snow, but whether
he was hurt or not the party never knew, for their speed was now so
terrific that he had barely landed before they whizzed past the bottom of
the hill and up the other incline. It became clear, too, as they sped on
that at such a fearful rate of progress nothing could now keep the Oscycle
from going over the edge, and the others began to lay plans for safety.

[Illustration: THE MAN FROM SATURN JUMPED.]

"I'm going to jump for a passing trolley cloud the minute we get to the
edge," said the Kangaroo.

"I don't know what I shall do," sobbed t