The Island of Gold: A Sailor's Yarn

said he would make me some soon, and it wouldn'tbe a bit sore putting them on."

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  With varying fortunes the good ship _Sea Flower_ sailed south and away,till at last the Cape of Good Hope was reached and rounded.

  Here they experienced very heavy weather indeed, with terrible storms ofthunder and lightning, and bigger seas than Tandy himself had ever seenbefore.

  But by this time little Nelda was quite a sailor, and a greaterfavourite fore and aft than ever.

  Sea-legs had, figuratively speaking, been served out to all the greenhands. Nelda had a capital pair, and could use them well. Fitz had tomake his old ones do another time; but Bob had received two pairs fromNeptune, when he came aboard that starry still night when crossing theline. As for the Hal, it must be confessed that there wasn't a pair inNeptune's boat long enough to fit him. However, in ordinary weather hemanaged to run along the deck pretty easily, his jibboom, as the sailorscalled his neck, held straight out in front of him, and helping himselfalong with his wings.

  Sometimes on the quarterdeck it would suddenly occur to the 'Ral that astep or two of a Highland schottische would help to make time pass morequickly and pleasantly. The 'Ral wasn't a bird to spoil a goodintention, so, with just one or two preliminary "scray--scrays" he wouldstart.

  Bother the deck though, and bother the heaving sea, for do what he wouldthe bird could no longer dance with ease and grace; so he would soongive it up, and go and lean his chin wearily over the lee bulwark, andthus, with his drooping wings, he did cut rather a ridiculous figure asseen from behind. He looked for all the world like some scraggy-leggedlittle old man, who had got up in the morning and put nothing on excepta ragged swallow-tailed coat.

  The men liked the 'Ral though. He made them laugh, and was better thanan extra glass of rum to them. So, as the bird seemed always ratherwretched in dirty weather, the carpenter was solicited to make him somesort of shelter.

  The carpenter consulted the sailmaker. The carpenter and sailmaker puttheir heads together. Something was sure to come of that.

  "He's sich an awkward shape, ye see," said old Canvas.

  "That's true," said Chips; "and he won't truss hisself, as ye might callit."

  "No; if he'd on'y jest double up his legs, Chips, and close reef thatjibboom o' his, we might manage some'ow."

  "A kind o' sentry-box would just be _the_ thing, old Can."

  "Humph! yes. I wonder why the skipper didn't bring a grandfather'sclock with 'im; that would suit the 'Ral all to pieces."

  But a sort of sentry-box, with a tarpaulin in front of it, was finallyrigged up for the 'Ral, and placed just abaft the main-mast, to which itwas lashed.

  The 'Ral didn't take to it quite kindly at first, but after studying itfore and aft he finally thought it would fit him nicely.

  It would be protection from the sun on hot days, and when it blew a bitthe men would draw down the tarpaulin, and he would be snug enough.

  But in sunny weather it must be confessed that, solemnly standing therein his sentry-box, the Admiral did look a droll sight.

  The 'Ral was a very early riser. He always turned out in time to gosplashing about while the hands were washing decks, and although theyoften turned the hose on him he didn't mind it a bit.

  One very hot day, the poor 'Ral was observed standing pensively upagainst the capstan. His head was out of sight, thrust into one of theholes.

  This was unusual, but the bird did so many droll things that, for anhour or more, nobody took much notice; but Ransey came round at last,carrying Babs, who was riding on his shoulders.

  "Hillo!" cried Babs, "here's the 'Ral with his head buried in a hole."

  "Which he stowed hisself away there, missie, more'n an hour ago," said aseaman. "Afraid o' gettin' sunstroke, that's my opinion."

  "Poor Hallie," cried Babs, sympathisingly, "does your headie ache?"

  The Admiral drew out his head, and looked at the child very mournfullyindeed.

  "He's got some silent sorrow hevidently, I should say," remarked anotherof the crew.

  There was quite a little circle now around the capstan.

  "Cheer up," cried Ransey Tansey. "Come along and have a dance,'Rallie."

  "I don't feel like dancing to-day," the crane replied, or appeared toreply. "Fact is, I don't feel like moving at all."

  No wonder, poor bird; the truth is, he was glued to the deck with meltedpitch.

  What a job it was getting him clear too--or "easing him off," as Chipscalled it.

  But with the help of putty knives the 'Ral got free at last, though ittook a deal of orange-peel to clean his poor feet. Then they were foundto be so red and swollen that a hammock was slung for him forthwithatween decks, and the Admiral was laid at full length in it--his head ona pillow at one end, his feet away down at the other, his body coveredwith the carpenter's lightest jacket.

  Very funny he did appear stretched like that, but he himselfappreciated, not the joke, but the comfort. He lay there for days, onlygetting up a little in the cool of the evening, if there was any cool init.

  Ransey fed him, and attended to his feet twice a day, so he was soon ondeck again, as right as a trivet.

  But the Admiral had learned a lesson, and ever after this, on hot days,to have seen the bird coming along the deck, you would have sworn he wasplaying at hop-Scotch, so careful was he to hop over the seams where thepitch was soft, his long neck bent down, and one eye curiously examiningthe planks.

  Yes, the 'Ral was a caution, as old Canvas said.

  But one of the bird's drollest adventures occurred one day when the shipwas lying becalmed in the Indian Ocean, or rather in the MozambiqueChannel.

  The _Sea Flower_ was within a measurable distance of land; for thoughnone was in sight, birds of the gull species flew around the ship, tackand half-tack, or floated lazily on the smooth surface of the sea.

  The 'Ral slowly left his sentry-box, stretched his wings a bit, uttereda mild scray--scray--ay or two, then did a hop-Scotch till he gotabreast of the man at the wheel. This particular sailor was somewhat ofa dandy, and had a morsel of red silk handkerchief peeping prettily outfrom his jacket pocket.

  The 'Ral eyed it curiously for a moment, then cleverly plucked it outand jumped away with it. He dropped it on a portion of the quarterdeckwhere the pitch was oozing, kicked it about with his feet to spread itout, as a man does with a handful of straw, and stood upon it.

  "Well, I do call that cheek! My best silk handkerchief, too," cried theman at the wheel.

  The crane only looked at him wonderingly with one eye.

  "You've no idea," he told this man, "how soft and nice it feels. I--I--yes, I verily believe I shall dance. Craik--craik--cray--ay--y!"

  And dance he did, Nelda and half the crew at least clapping their handsand cheering with delight.

  The 'Ral was just in the very midst of his merriment, when the man,after giving the wheel an angry turn or two to port, made a dart torecover his favourite bandana. With such a rush did he come that the'Ral took fright, and flew to the top of the bulwark. There was someoiled canvas here, and this was so hot that the bird had to keep liftingone foot and putting down the other all the time, just like a hen on ahot griddle.

  "How delightfully sweet it must be up there," he said to himself, gazingat the gulls that were screaming with joy as they swept round and roundin the blue sky. "I think I'll have a fly myself. Scray--ay!"

  And greatly to every one's astonishment away he flew high into the air.

  Alarmed at first, the gulls soon regained courage, and made a daringattack on the 'Ral. But he speedily vanquished the foe, and one or twofell bleeding into the water.

  A gull was perched on the back fin of a shark. The 'Ral flew down.

  "It's nice and snug _you_ look," said the 'Ral. "Get off at once, theking's come. Get off, I say, or I'll dig both your impudent eyes out."

  And next moment the Admiral was per
ched there, as coolly as if he hadbeen used to riding on sharks ever since his babyhood.

  But Nelda was in tears. She would never see the 'Ral again, and theawful beast would eat him, sea-legs and all. So a boat was called awayto save him.

  None too soon either. For the 'Ral had commenced to investigate thatfin with his long beak. No respectable basking shark could be expectedto stand that, so down he dived, leaving the bird screaming and swayingand scrambling on the top of the water. "Scray--scray--craik--craik--cray!"

  But for the timely aid of the boat, the Admiral would have met with aterrible fate, for his screaming and struggling brought around him threesharks at least, all eager to find out what a