or it was really the new
triumphal march freshly down from town, but in which the bandsmen were
not perfect as regarded their parts.

"Is that music or the roarings and cries of some of the beasts?"
whispered Singh.

There was a burst of laughter from the boys who heard the native remark,
which made Singh turn round upon them angrily; but at a touch from Glyn
he smiled good-humouredly, and then laughed aloud.

"Well, it was a stupid thing to say," he cried. "Of course it's the
music."

"I say, Singh," burst in Glyn, and he nodded towards the huge drum that
was suspended at the back in the highest part of the car, hung, as it
were, between the curling tails of the two gilt serpents. "I say," he
cried, "wouldn't that astonish the people at Dour? What would they say
to that for a tom-tom?"

"Ah!" cried Singh, "I'll buy one like that, and take it back with us
when we go home."

"No, I say, don't," cried Glyn. "They make noise enough there as it
is."

"Noise!" echoed Singh. "They don't call that noise."

As they were speaking the great six-horse car rumbled slowly by, with
the drummer beating hard and the buglers and trombonists blowing their
best; while the crowd, taking up the cheer started by the boys, sent it
echoing along towards the main street, where, coming slowly along, and
stretching as far as eye could reach, there was a long line of caravans,
all exceedingly plain and of a uniform yellow colour, with the names of
their contents painted on them in black letters.

The place of honour was given to the king of beasts, for the first of
the cars bore the word "Lions;" but probably his majesty was asleep, for
not so much as a muttering purr on a large scale came from the narrow
grating at the top.

Tigers followed; the next car held leopards, each carriage being of the
same uniform level, with the black letters; and, coming slowly after
them, were about two score, kept a good distance apart so as to lengthen
the line as much as possible.

But at first there was nothing else to see, and Singh turned impatiently
to his companion, and said: "When does the procession begin?"

"Why, that's the procession," said a small boy close to him, taking the
answer upon himself. "The wild beasts are inside. Didn't you know?"
And then he proceeded to display his own knowledge. "They draw all the
vans up in a square," he began excitedly, "out there in the home-field
behind the `King's Arms,' and then they open the