To their great astonishment, they found a clumsy-looking cart, somewhat resembling the pictures which they had seen of the old Roman chariots, to the shafts of which a sleepy-looking sloth-bear was attached. "Ha! ha! what a funny horse," laughed Fidge. "It is a horse, isn't it, Dick?" "No," said Dick; "I don't think so." "Horse! no, indeed," said the Dodo. "It's a kind of camel." "I ain't," said the sloth-bear, with a yawn. "You shouldn't say 'ain't,'" said the Dodo, rebukingly. "What are you, then?" There was no answer, the creature had gone to sleep. "Wake up! wake up!" cried the Dodo, shaking him violently. "The idea of dropping off to sleep when any one is talking to you!" "I thought you were going to preach," explained the sloth-bear. "You began talking about something that I shouldn't do or say, and I always go to sleep when people talk to me like that--it's so stupid of them." "Where are you going to?" asked the Dodo. "I don't know," was the reply. "Where are you?" "We want to get to the place where the steamers start for England," explained Marjorie. "Jump in, then," said the sloth-bear, jerking his head in the direction of the cart; and the children, highly delighted at the prospect of a ride, all scrambled in. Dick took the reins, and Marjorie made herself comfortable beside him, while Fidge dangled his legs over the back of the "chariot," the Dodo solemnly squatting down at his side, with his gloves carefully displayed, and his necktie properly adjusted. "Now then," said Dick, shaking the reins, "we are ready to start. Go on, please." There was no answer, and it transpired that the creature was asleep again. "Good gracious!" said the Dodo, impatiently, "we shall never get anywhere at this rate. I say, do wake up," he cried, going up to the sloth-bear and giving him a good shake. "Oh! are you ready?" said that individual, waking up slowly. "Come on, then!" and he took two or three steps forward, and then stopped to rest, his eyes gradually closing, and his head beginning to sink. "Come, come!" said the Dodo, getting in front of him, grasping the reins, and pulling with all his might. "I shall get very angry with you in a minute. It's perfectly ridiculous going on in this way; however do you imagine we are to get to our destination if you waste time in this manner?" The answer was a loud snore from the sloth-bear, who had once more fallen into a deep sleep. CHAPTER XI. THE SKIPPER OF THE ARGONAUT. "Well, of all the stupid creatures," said the Dodo, "I think that this is the most remarkable. Here, I say! Wake up, will you!" and he gave the reins another sharp pull. The sloth-bear blinked his eyes, sleepily, and muttered, "What's up?" "Why, aren't you going to make a start?" inquired the Dodo, angrily; "how do you suppose we shall ever get to our destination if you go on like this?"