Elemoont/Chapter 8
tells how the Elemoont saw a performance and did not believe that a hare is a hare.
People took their places rather quickly, and the performance started. Fast ponies with little monkeys in silvery man's sleeveless jackets sitting on theirs backs raced along the circus ring. The monkeys jumped from one little horse to other making dizzy tricks in the air. Suddenly a big tiger with big round green eyes popped out on the arena and chased horses. The ponies rushed so rapidly that the audience did not discern them anymore. It was seemed that only a long striped tail raced along the circle. The tiger would catch the ponies any minute now! But here a deafening click of a whip was heard: the animal-trainer was in the middle of the circus-ring. The Elemoont immediately recognised the red-haired gentleman who gave him the ticket and thought at that moment, "Aha, it is caught!"
"Look! Look!" cried the people. "It is Mr. Red, the tamer of the Universe in himself!" Here the Elemoont remembered what it was written in the ticket: ‘The tamer of the Universe, Mr. Red's world-wide special attraction.’
"He does not suffer from modesty," thought the Elemoont and heard on the spot, "Any modesty only hindered such business as the tame of the Universe!" Very likely, it was Mr. Red's thought. At once after the click of the tamer's whip, the tiger stopped, arched its back -- red sparks fell from it -- and suddenly loudly purred. Then it came to the tamer and lay down near his feet. Rejoicing monkeys rushed on theirs ponies behind the scenes.
"Long live Mr. Red!" again cried the appreciative house. Mr. Red took his red high silk hat off, waved it in the air, and made his bow. The tiger again arched its back and blare mewed.
"Is it a cat?" was astonished the Elemoont. "You are a cat yourself!" reached his ears an angry striped thought in reply.
Mr. Red turned his high silk hat over, put it on the little table, and waved his whip which suddenly turned a red baton. The house stood still. "Carrramba!" growled Mr. Red and long ears appeared of the hat. "Where did I see such ears?" thought the Elemoont. Meanwhile Mr. Red caught the ears with his left hand and took out from his top hat a hare. "A hare! A hare!" cried the spectators and again began to applaud.
"It is not a hare!" suddenly said the Elemoont recognising the Russian hare of the trolley–bus. "What, it is not a hare?" were astonished the spectators, "Who is saying it?"
"He said it himself, that he was not a real hare," announced the Elemoont, "I had heard it myself with my own ears!" And he stirred his ears for convincing.
"Are you hearing? A hare is not a hare!" said people in the second row. "The hare is not real!" were filled with indignation some people in the third one. "Pay back our money for our tickets!" cried the spectators in the forth row.
"Peace and quiet! Peace and quiet!" also cried Mr. Red, "The hare is the very real, without any trickery!" It was made such a hullabaloo, that the hare jumped back into the high silk hat out of fright. Thick clouds of smoke belched from the hat packing the entire hall and the spectators began to sneeze loudly "Up-chi! Uptch-a!" Waking up, firefighters ran out into the arena and began to water all around. The people rushed to the exit. The Elemoont also wanted to run, but here in his head sounded two thoughts at once. One of them was red and another one was also red but striped. "It all is because of the Elemoont! Eat him!" said the first thought. "Yes, sir!" answered the second one. The Elemoont swung round and saw through the clouds of smoke that two round green fires resembling two green traffic lights swiftly came to him. The Elemoont gave a high jump from surprise and fell straight into a black hole of the turned over high silk hat. "It's a sure thing!" caught he another red thought and found him in the utter darkness.