* 130 PRINCE FILDERKIN

scarcely visible, and his hump being the only
thing which interfered with his rotundity.
The little-man carried in his right hand a tin
trumpet, which from time to time he applied to
his lips, producing a sound which was more
shrill than musical, but which doubtless
served its purpose by attracting attention to
the performer.

This first individual was followed by
eighteen more of the same race, riding two
and two, whose only peculiarity consisted in
the variety of their costumes. The first six
had close-fitting green tunics, save that their
humps were white, so that special attention
was at once directed to that which each
conceived to be his greatest ornament. In
like manner the next six had blue tunics
with yellow humps, whilst the last six had
straw-coloured tunics and pink humps,
and the whole eighteen rode upon kids, and
each held in his hand a small flag with pink,
blue, and white streamers.

Directly behind these came a square wooden
box, covered with gay trappings and drawn
by two calves. In the middle of this box
four more hump-backed mountebanks sup-
ported the royal standard, upon which was