CHAPTER VI
ABOARD THE MERRY MOUSER
When Rudolf and Ann and the False Hare, under guard of Growler andProwler, reached the deck of the _Merry Mouser_, they found Peter,dressed in a dry suit of pirate clothing and looking none the worsefor his wetting. He was being closely watched by a big Maltese piratewhose strong paw with its sharp claws outspread rested on hisshoulder, but as Rudolf and Ann were led past him, he managed towhisper, "Look out! Mittens is awful cross at us!"
Foolish Ann paid no attention to this warning. She was so glad to seeher Aunt Jane's pet again that she snatched her hand out of Prowler'spaw, and ran toward the Pirate Chief. "Kitty, Kitty, don't you knowme?" she cried. "Oh, Puss, Puss!"
For a moment Captain Mittens stood perfectly silent, bristling to thevery points of his whiskers with passion. Then he ordered in a hoarsekind of growl: "Bring the bags."
Instantly two ugly black and white spotted cats dived into the littlecabin and brought out an armful of neat, black, cloth bags withdrawing strings in them. "One moment," commanded Mittens in a verystern voice, "any plunder?"
Growler, the mate, bowed low before his chief. "'Ere's a werry'andsome weapon, sir," said he, handing over Rudolf's sword. "Nothingelse on the little ones, sir, but _this_ 'ere gentleman"--pointing tothe False Hare--"was loaded down with jools."
Hearty cheers sprang from the furry throats of the crew, while broadgrins spread over their whiskered faces as they listened to thispleasing news.
"Silence," snarled Mittens--and every cat was still. "Now then," hecommanded Growler, "hand 'em over."
Very much against his will, Growler emptied his pockets of the FalseHare's jewelry and handed it over to his Chief. Mittens took the goldwatch and chain, the flashing pin and studs, the beautiful diamondring and put them all on, glaring defiantly at his crew as he did so.So fierce was that scowl of his, so sharp and white the teeth heflashed at them, so round and terrible his gleaming yellow eyes thatnot a cat dared object, though the faces of all plainly showed theiranger and disappointment at this unfair division of the spoils.
"Now, what's in _there_," demanded Mittens, as he gave a contemptuouskick to the False Hare's dress-suit case. Growler opened it and tookout a dozen paper collars, a little pair of pink paper pajamas, and asmall black bottle labeled "Hare Restorer."
"All of 'em worth about two cents retail," snorted Mittens with abitter look at the False Hare. "And that umbrella, I see, is not madeto go up! Huh! Drowning's too good for _you_!"
"I feel so myself, sir," said the False Hare humbly. "You see," headded, wiping away a tear with the back of his paw, "I'm so _fond_ ofthe water!"
Mittens thought a moment, keeping his eye firmly fastened on the Hare."I'll fix you," he cried, "I'll tie you up in one of those bags!"
The False Hare put his paw behind his ear. "Bags?" said he. "Excuseme, sir, but did you say bags?"
"Yes, I did," roared the Pirate Chief. "Bags! Bags! Bags!"
"Oh, _thank_ you!" cried the False Hare cheerily. "Just my favoriteresting-place--a nice snug bag. Mind you have them draw the string_tight_, won't you?"
Mittens flew into a terrible passion. "I have it," he roared, "I'llsend you adrift! Here, boys, get that boat ready!"
Then the Hare began to cry, to sob, to beg for mercy, till thechildren felt actually ashamed of him. "Look here, Mittens," Rudolfbegan.
"_Captain_ Mittens," corrected the pirate coldly.
It was hard for Rudolf, but he dared not anger the pirate cat anyfurther. "Don't hurt him, please, Captain Mittens," he begged. "He'sonly a--" Then he stopped, for the False Hare was making a terribleface at him behind the handkerchief with which he was pretending towipe his eyes.
"Tie his paws!" commanded Mittens, without so much as a look atRudolf. "There--that's a nice bit of string hanging out of hispocket--take that. Now--chuck him in the boat!"
In a trice the black and white spotted cats, who seemed to be commonsailors, had tied the False Hare's paws behind him with his ownstring, lowered him into the mice's little boat from which they hadalready removed the oars, gave it a push, and sent him cruelly adrift!
"Oh, Rudolf," cried tender-hearted Ann, "what will become of him? Poorold Hare!"
"Po-o-o-r old Hare," came back a dismal echo from the little boatalready some distance away. Then they saw that the False Hare hadfreed his paws--that string must have been made of paper like hisclothes and his umbrella--and was standing up in his boat waving agay farewell to all aboard the _Merry Mouser_.
"Good-by, kidlets!" he called in mocking tones. "Hope you have a goodtime with the tabbies!" And then to Mittens, "Good-by, old Whiskers!"
At this insult to their Chief all the pirate cats began firing theirrevolvers, but their aim must have been very poor indeed, as none oftheir shots came anywhere near the Hare's boat. Indeed, a great manyof the cats had forgotten to load their weapons, though they keptsnapping away at their triggers as if that did not matter in theslightest. The False Hare merely bowed, kissed his paw to CaptainMittens, and then began using his silk hat as a paddle so skilfullythat in a few moments he was far beyond their range.
Growler edged up to Prowler. "I say, old chap," he chuckled, "Is'pose that's what they mean by a hare-breadth escape?"
Prowler grinned. "It's one on the Chief, anyway," said he joyfully."Not a breath of wind, ye know, not so much as a cats-paw--no chanceof a chase."
"What's that?" Captain Mittens had crept up behind the two mates andbawled in Prowler's ear. "What's that? No wind? Why not, I'd like toknow? What d'ye mean by running out o' wind? Head her for CatnipIsland this instant, or I'll have ye skinned!"
"Yes, sir, I'll do my best, sir," answered Prowler meekly. "But yousee, sir, the breeze havin' died, sir, it'll be a tough job to get the_Merry Mouser_--"
"Prowler!" The chief, who had been standing close beside the unluckymate while he spoke, now came closer yet and fixed his terrible eyeon Prowler's shining whiskers. "How long," he asked, speaking veryslowly and distinctly, "is--it--since--you--have--tasted mouse?"
Prowler trembled all over. "A--a--week, sir," he mumbled, "that is, Icouldn't _swear_ to the date, sir, but 'twas at my aunt's and shenever has us to tea on a Monday, for that's wash-day, nor on aTuesday, for that's missionary, so it must 'a' been--"
"No use, 't won't work, Prowler." The Chief grinned and waved a paw toone of the spotted sailors. "Here, you, bring along theCat-O'-Nine-Tails!"
At this the children were immediately very much interested, for theyhad never in their lives seen a cat with more than one tail.
"It would take nine times as much pulling--" Rudolf was whispering toPeter, when he noticed a new commotion among the sailors. The blackand white sea-cat had turned to carry out the Chief's order whensuddenly some one called out "A breeze, a breeze!" and in theexcitement of getting the _Merry Mouser_ under way, the captain'sattention was turned, and Prowler and his crime were forgotten.
All this time Ann and Rudolf and Peter had been standing a littleapart from the rest under guard of the Maltese pirate at whose feetlay the dreadful black bags all ready for use. In the confusion Rudolfturned to Ann and whispered, "Do you suppose we could possibly stir upa mutiny? Prowler must be pretty sore against the Chief! If we couldonly get him and Growler on our side and make them help us seizeMittens and drop him overboard."
But Ann shook her head, and as for Peter he doubled up his littlefists and cried out loud: "Nobody sha'n't touch my Mittens! I don'tcare if he _is_ a pirate cat. I'm going to ask my Aunt Jane if Ican't take him home with me to Thirty-fourth Street!"
"Sh--sh!" Ann whispered, putting her hand over his mouth, but it wastoo late! Mittens had crept stealthily up behind Peter and now hepopped one of the black bags over his head. At the same instant, Ann,kicking and struggling, vanished into another held open by two of thespotted cats, and before Rudolf could rush to her rescue a third bagdescended over his own head. It was no use struggling, yet strugglethey did, till Mittens sent three of the spotted sailors to sit onth
em, and _then_ they soon quieted down. There were one or two smallbreathing holes in each bag, or else the children would surely havesuffocated, so stout and heavy were those spotted cats. After whatseemed to them a very long time a cry of "Land ho!" was raised, andthe cats got up and rushed away to join in the general fuss andconfusion of getting the _Merry Mouser_ ready for her landing.
Rudolf had been working his hardest at one of the holes in his bag andsoon he was able to get a good view of his immediate surroundings.
"Cheer up!" he called to Ann and Peter. "We're coming close to theisland."
"Has it got coral reefs and palm-trees and cocoanuts and savages,friendly ones, I mean?" came in muffled tones from Ann's bag.
"Has it got monkeys and serpents an' turtles an'--an'--shell-fish?"demanded Peter from his.
"N-no," said Rudolf, "I don't see any of those things _yet_. There area great many trees, some of 'em coming most down to the edge of thewater, but they're not palm-trees, they're willows, the kind you pickthe little furry gray things off in early spring--"
"Pussy-willows, of course, stupid!" interrupted Ann.
"Yes, and back of that there are fields with tall reeds or grasseswith brown tips to them."
"Cattails!" giggled Ann.
"And there's a big high cliff, too, with a little stream of waterrunning down, and--" But here Rudolf stopped, for Growler and Prowlerrushed up, cut the strings of the three bags, and released thechildren from their imprisonment. Hardly did they have time to stretchthemselves before the _Merry Mouser_ brought up alongside herlanding-place, and in a moment more the children were being ledashore, each under guard of a cat pirate to prevent escape.