"Don't leave me alone on the Ark, Marjie, dear,
For I shall be lonely I very much fear.
Now, how would you like to be left alone
High up on a perch where the wild breezes moan?"
"The Weathercock wants to come with us," said Marjorie.
"Then why doesn't he?" said Capt. Noah, who was busily engaged in making
the anchor line fast.
"I'll tell him to come with us."
And she ran up the gang-plank and called to the lonely Weathercock:
"Why don't you fly down? We'd like to have you come ashore with us."
"That's all I wanted to know," said the faithful bird. "Look out! Here she
goes!"
And with a great flutter and flapping of his gilt wings he landed on the
sand.
And after that he and Marjorie went over to the clump of palm trees where
Mrs. Noah and the boys were resting.
"This would be a fine spot for a picnic," she said. "Did you ever go to
one?"
"No, I've never been to one, although I once went to a fair with father,"
said Marjorie.
"Well, while the boys are busy with Capt. Noah mending the Ark, we'll get
a fire started and have our lunch out here beneath the trees."
It didn't take long to get the fire started, for Mrs. Noah wished to
surprise the Captain when he came back, and pretty soon the kettle was
singing away:
"Hurray for the jolly picnic
And the crew of the red Noah's Ark.
I'll whistle and sing like a bird in the spring,
While the red flames gleam and spark."
"There are some nice clams on the beach," said Mrs. Noah.
So the Weathercock took a basket and went down to the water's edge and
brought back enough for everybody.
And I guess Mrs. Noah had been to many a clam bake, for she knew just how
to roast them in a pile of seaweed and red hot stones.
Well, pretty soon Capt. Noah with Mr. Jonah and the three boys came out of
the Ark and sat down beneath the palm trees, and then all the animals sat
around in a ring, for this was the first picnic they had ever been to.
"I'm as hungry as a bear," said little Marjorie, and then the Elephant
began to laugh, but the bear only smiled and spread his bread with honey.
Of course, some of the animals didn't eat any of Mrs. Noah's lunch. The
giraffe stood near by and ate the tender leaves off the tops of the trees
and the monkeys ate cocoanuts, and the ducks and geese kept close to the
water and snapped up little fishes and snails. But everybody had a
wonderful time.
"I think, Mother," said Capt. Noah, wiping the crumbs from the tablecloth,
and holding them out to a little brown thrush who had sat on his shoulder
during the meal, "we had better spend the night ashore. I'll bring the big
tent from the Ark and set it up under the trees. I'm going to do a little
painting inside the Ark this afternoon."
"That's a very good idea," said Mrs. Noah.
When the tent was set up and the ropes securely fastened to the pegs which
had been driven into the ground, Mrs. Noah and Marjorie busied themselves
fixing it up inside in order to make it comfortable for the night.
And when evening came, a bright fire was lighted and after supper,
everybody sat around and talked. Ham popped corn and Marjorie roasted
apples.
"Nine o'clock," said Capt. Noah, "time for bed. We must be up early in the
morning."
"It was the loveliest picnic I ever had," said Marjorie, as she kissed
Mrs. Noah good night.
[Illustration: Captain Noah called all the Animals aboard the Ark]