Chap­ter V begins with an unusu­al com­mand from Mr. Spar­ling, the cir­cus own­er, instruct­ing all per­form­ers to pack up and pre­pare for a new form of trav­el. Phil and Ted­dy, intrigued by the secre­cy, are invit­ed to walk with him through the qui­et streets of town. The ten­sion builds as they move away from the famil­iar cir­cus lot, their curios­i­ty sharp­ened by the hush among the per­form­ers and the unusu­al lack of fan­fare. Upon reach­ing the river­bank, they are met with an unex­pect­ed sight: three bright yel­low boats proud­ly bear­ing the name of the Spar­ling Com­bined Shows. It is here that Mr. Spar­ling reveals his ambi­tious plan—to trans­fer the entire cir­cus onto steam­boats and jour­ney down the Mis­sis­sip­pi Riv­er. The boys are stunned, caught between amaze­ment and dis­be­lief. This new approach promis­es both adven­ture and chal­lenge, and it’s clear the cir­cus is about to enter a bold chap­ter in its his­to­ry.

As the plan unfolds, Mr. Spar­ling explains that this riv­er jour­ney offers strate­gic advan­tages that no oth­er cir­cus has attempt­ed. By per­form­ing on both river­banks, the cir­cus can reach a wider audi­ence while also avoid­ing the delays often caused by poor train sched­ules. The inno­va­tion lies not only in trans­porta­tion but in how it keeps the spir­it of the cir­cus fresh and excit­ing for each new town along the water’s edge. Ted­dy, ever the com­ic, voic­es con­cern about liv­ing aboard a pad­dle-wheel­er, wor­ried it might inter­fere with his sleep or meals. But even he is soon swept up by the excite­ment as they are shown inside the ves­sels. The boats—now affec­tion­ate­ly renamed “Fat Marie,” “Lit­tle Nemo,” and “Yel­low Peril”—have been care­ful­ly cus­tomized to fit the unique needs of a trav­el­ing cir­cus. With rooms carved out for per­form­ers, stor­age built for tents and ani­mals, and plans for rehearsals dur­ing trav­el, every detail has been care­ful­ly mapped. The vision is as dar­ing as any high-wire act under the big top.

Return­ing to the lot, Phil and Ted­dy find the per­form­ers buzzing with ques­tions, eager for answers. The announce­ment of the riv­er expe­di­tion is met first with shock, then with mount­ing enthu­si­asm. With­in hours, the lot comes alive with ener­gy as per­form­ers rush to pre­pare their gear for board­ing. The tents are fold­ed, the ani­mals guid­ed into their com­part­ments, and the props loaded with extra care to accom­mo­date the new jour­ney ahead. For many, this is the first time they will live and per­form on the water. It’s not just a change of scenery—it’s a change in iden­ti­ty. The Spar­ling Cir­cus is no longer just a show on land; it is now a float­ing world of won­der that will drift from town to town, bring­ing joy to riv­er com­mu­ni­ties far from the railroad’s reach.

The emo­tion­al response among the per­form­ers is mixed, though over­whelm­ing­ly pos­i­tive. Some wor­ry about the unknown—whether the riv­er will be kind, or if the boats can tru­ly hold up under the weight of a full cir­cus. Oth­ers are thrilled by the nov­el­ty and the brag­ging rights it brings. Phil, ever the opti­mist, views it as a chal­lenge worth embrac­ing. His excite­ment is matched only by Teddy’s grow­ing curios­i­ty, espe­cial­ly about where his ostrich egg will be stored on the boat. Mr. Spar­ling, calm and cal­cu­lat­ed, reas­sures every­one with the depth of his prepa­ra­tions. Each boat has been rein­forced and refit­ted. Ani­mal enclo­sures are safe, kitchen spaces are in place, and even the band has been assigned a per­for­mance area to keep spir­its high dur­ing long stretch­es of riv­er. This thought­ful lead­er­ship earns him fur­ther respect from the troupe.

The evening’s per­for­mance is elec­tric, charged with antic­i­pa­tion for the days ahead. The crowd, unaware of what’s to come, is treat­ed to one of the circus’s finest shows yet. Each per­former gives a lit­tle more—more flair, more ener­gy, more daring—perhaps inspired by the promise of a new adven­ture or the bond they feel grow­ing among them­selves. When the final act fin­ish­es and the applause fades, the cast moves quick­ly, dri­ven by the real­iza­tion that tomor­row marks a depar­ture from every­thing famil­iar. For Phil and Ted­dy, the steam­boat jour­ney promis­es not just new des­ti­na­tions, but new dis­cov­er­ies about them­selves and the peo­ple they call fam­i­ly. What lies ahead may be uncer­tain, but what remains clear is the sense of uni­ty forged through spec­ta­cle, hard­ship, and trust. This is not just a new route for the cir­cus; it is a new iden­ti­ty afloat on America’s most sto­ried riv­er.