Ahoy, ahoy, Mount Ararat,
Now we know where we are at.
Run the Ark up high and dry,
Close against the bright blue sky.
"Not a bit of it!" shouted Capt. Noah, looking up at the Weathercock, "I
don't propose to take any chances running up that mountain side. Suppose
our motor gave out? We'd be in a nice fix. We'll run up on the shore and
heave to."
The Ark, obeying Capt. Noah's guiding hand, swept up on the beach and came
to a standstill some 200 feet from the water.
"We can cut all the timber we need for repairs now," said Japheth, looking
over toward a big forest that lay back from the beach. "The animals, too,
can have a nice frolic on the sand. It will do them good after being
cooped up on board ship for so long."
And in a short time the Ark was empty and all the animals were having a
fine time making castles in the sand and picking up pretty sea shells.
And after a while Capt. Noah got out his axe and saw, and calling to Mr.
Jonah, and his three boys, started off for the forest, and as soon as he
cut down a tree, Mr. Jonah and the three boys sawed it up into logs.
"I guess we have enough now," said Capt. Noah. "Guess we'd better start
and split them into planks."
This was not such easy work, but after a while, they had quite a pile of
lumber on hand.
"If we only had a wagon to haul the logs to the Ark," said Capt. Noah,
wiping his forehead with his red bordered handkerchief.
And just then Marjorie came riding down the gang-plank in the little toy
automobile.
"I'll take them back to the Ark," she said, and after a while, not so very
long, they were all aboard.
Well, by this time it was pretty dark, and Capt. Noah felt uneasy about
the animals, so he stood up on the bow of the big boat and called out:
"All aboard for the night!"
"All aboard for the night!" he called out again, and then he turned to
little Marjorie and said, "I'd never forgive myself if anything should
happen to any one of my passengers."
But, oh dear me! When Capt. Noah, who had stood by the gang-plank and
checked off each animal as he came aboard, found that the little red
squirrel was missing, he was dreadfully worried.
"Goodness me!" he exclaimed, "if that squirrel has gone off into the
woods, how will we ever find him?"
"Well, there's no use in worrying," said Mrs. Noah, who just then came up
from below deck. "Come down and get a nice hot cup of tea. After you've
eaten something you'll know better what to do."
Well, after supper, everybody felt better, so Capt. Noah and his crew came
up on deck to look for the lost squirrel.
The moon was just coming up out of the east, making a silver path across
the water right up to the Ark.
As Capt. Noah looked over the railing to the sand below he saw a little
figure walking directly in the silver moon path. It seemed to be carrying
something heavy; for it paused every now and then to rest.
"It's the little red squirrel," shouted Marjorie.
"So it is," said Capt. Noah.
"Helloa, there!" he shouted, "wait and I'll let down the gang-plank!"
"Whew, but I'm tired!" panted the red squirrel, as he crawled up on deck.
"This bag of nuts is as heavy as lead!"
And then he let the well-filled bag slip from his shoulders to the deck.
"Don't you ever stay out as late as this again, sir," said Capt. Noah,
pulling in the gang-plank and making it fast for the night. "If you do,
you won't get shore leave for a long time."
"I'm glad you're back," whispered Marjorie, "for we were all dreadfully
worried about you," and this so pleased the little red squirrel that he
gave her a handful of chestnuts.
"Come along with me," said Capt. Noah, "I'm going below to see what the
boys are doing."
So Marjorie and the little squirrel followed the captain without a word,
for they saw that he was somewhat vexed.
Below deck all was in confusion, for the animals, after finishing their
supper, were trying to find places to sleep.
Although Mr. Jonah and the boys had made the place as clean as possible
since the fire, they had not, of course, been able in so short a time to
replace the bunks and pens in which the animals had slept.
Everybody was in everybody else's way.
The smaller animals were squeezed into corners by the larger ones, and the
Elephant complained that the red Ant kept treading on his toes.
"Order! Order!" shouted Capt. Noah.
"What are you doing, Jonah, and where are you, boys?" he called out,
peering into the darkness, for of course all the electric lights were out
and the hold was in total darkness.
"Here we are," answered Mr. Jonah. "We're doing the best we can," and he
came out of the darkness and rested his pitchfork on the floor while he
wiped the perspiration from his forehead.
"I was spreading out the straw for bedding. Ham is giving the pigs a drink
before they go to bed."
And just then the other two boys appeared. "What are you doing here?"
Japheth asked the muley cow, which stood by quietly chewing her cud.