! my beef-eaters!
Ho! my bodyguard! Take this Count Hogginarmo and fling him into the
circus! Give him a sword and buckler, let him keep his armor on, and his
weather-eye out, and fight these lions."

The haughty Hogginarmo laid down his opera-glass, and looked scowling
round at the King and his attendants. "Touch me not, dogs!" he said,
"or by St. Nicholas the Elder, I will gore you! Your Majesty thinks
Hogginarmo is afraid? No, not of a hundred thousand lions! Follow me
down into the circus, King Padella, and match thyself against one of
yon brutes. Thou darest not. Let them both come on, then!" And opening a
grating of the box, he jumped lightly down into the circus.

WURRA WURRA WURRA WUR-AW-AW-AW!!!
In about two minutes
The Count Hogginarmo was
GOBBLED UP
by
those lions,
bones, boots, and all,
and
There was an
End of him.

At this, the King said, "Serve him right, the rebellious ruffian! And
now, as those lions won't eat that young woman--"

"Let her off!--let her off!" cried the crowd.

"NO!" roared the King. "Let the beef-eaters go down and chop her into
small pieces. If the lions defend her, let the archers shoot them to
death. That hussy shall die in tortures!"

"A-a-ah!" cried the crowd. "Shame! shame!"

"Who dares cry out 'Shame?'" cried the furious potentate (so little can
tyrants command their passions). "Fling any scoundrel who says a word
down among the lions!" I warrant you there was a dead silence then,
which was broken by a "Pang arang pang pangkarangpang!" and a Knight and
a Herald rode in at the further end of the circus; the Knight, in full
armor, with his vizor up, and bearing a letter on the point of his
lance.

"Ha!" exclaimed the King, "by my fay, 'tis Elephant and Castle,
pursuivant of my brother of Paflagonia; and the Knight, an my memory
serves me, is the gallant Captain Hedzoff! What news from Paflagonia,
gallant Hedzoff? Elephant and Castle, beshrew me, thy trumpeting must
have made thee thirsty. What will my trusty herald like to drink?"

"Bespeaking first safe conduct from your Lordship," said Captain
Hedzoff, "before we take a drink of anything, permit us to deliver our
King's message."

"My Lordship, ha!" said Crim Tartary, frowning terr