Page:Jungle Joe, pride of the circus; the story of a trick elephant (IA junglejoeprideof00hawk).pdf/175

 the ring with Joie as a trick animal, his duties had been merely to stay with Joie in the menagerie tent and to feed him, and also to explain to the visitors as much as he knew about the animals which had come from the Malay peninsula. But when Ali became the handler of a performing elephant he arose in the estimation of all the circus people. This was especially true of his beloved Sahib, who had stuck by him all the years.

The first act put on by Ali and Joie was very simple. The elephant was bedecked with a beautiful purple-and-gold blanket, with a gorgeous howdah upon his back, and Ali was dressed to represent a Malay prince. In fact, he was featured upon the bill-boards as Prince Ali, the son of a Malay nobleman, and a person of great distinction in his own country.