"Say, he's going to do some jump!" exclaimed Benny Turton, who came into the ring at that moment, dressed in his shimmering, scaly suit, ready to do his "human fish" act. "That's what!" cried Jim Tracy. "Give him the long roll and the boom!" he called to the leader of the musicians. As Joe poised for his jump the snare drummer rattled out a "ruffle," and as it started Joe leaned forward and leaped. Down he went, for a few feet, as straight as an arrow. Then he suddenly doubled up into a sort of ball, and began turning over and over. The crowd held its breath. The drum continued to rattle out its thundering accompaniment. How many somersaults Joe turned none of the spectators reckoned, but the youthful performer kept count of them, for he wanted to "straighten out," to land on his feet in the net. "He'll never do it!" predicted Tonzo Lascalla. And it did begin to look as though Joe had miscalculated. But no. Just before he reached the springy life net he straightened out and came down feet first, bouncing up, and down like a rubber ball. The instant he landed the bass drum gave forth a thundering "boom," and as Joe rose, and came down again, the drummer punctuated each descent with a bang, until the crowd that had applauded madly at the jump was laughing at the queer effect of Joe's bouncing to the accompaniment of the drum. "He did it!" cried Jim Tracy. "It was a great jump. We'll feature that now." He looked at Sid and Tonzo Lascalla, as though asking why they had not worked something like this into their acts previously. But the Spaniards only shrugged their shoulders and raised their eyebrows. "That was great, Joe!" exclaimed Benny Turton, as Joe leaped to the ground over the edge of the life net. "Great!" Joe smiled happily. "It was wonderful," added Helen Morton, who was about to put her trick horse, Rosebud, through his paces. "It was wonderful--but I don't like to see anybody take such risks." "Anybody?" asked Joe in a low voice. "Well, then--you," she whispered, as she ran off to her ring. "Well, I did it, you see," observed Joe to his two partners. "I guess I know how to fall into a net." "You sure do!" averred the ring-master. "Try that at each performance, Joe." "Only--be careful," added Tonzo Lascalla. "We do not want to have to get another partner." The act of Joe and the two other "Lascalla Brothers" came to an end with Joe and Sid hanging suspended from the legs of Tonzo, who supported himself on a swinging trapeze. It made an effective close. Joe was through then, and could watch the rest of the show or go to bed, as he pleased. He elected to stay in the "main top" and watch Helen in her act. He was also much interested in the "human fish."