TWO NEW FRIENDS
Baby Jane was waked up by the Lion giving her a gentle lick on the
cheek.
'We must pack up our luggage and be off early,' said he. 'I have looked
out, and there is nothing in sight, but there was the sound of hundreds
of stealthy footfalls round the bush in the night.'
Then he waked the others, and they set to work to pack up their
belongings--there were all the Bear's belongings, and, of course, their
toys.
While they were having breakfast--it was lucky that everything grew
ready cooked, so to speak, and even the bread-fruit grew ready toasted
in this very hot country--they held a council of war.
'We must go far away from the Black Mountains until we have got together
a big army of beasts with good natures. Then we will come back,' said
Baby Jane, who was brave enough now that the sun was shining and no
enemy in sight, 'and if the Black Mountain creatures won't be good,
well, we shall have to make them.'
[Illustration: Whistling 'Lochaber No More.']
On they tramped, without speaking, all the morning, with their bundles
on their heads, and the Light-Horse did not make matters more cheerful
by whistling 'Lochaber No More,' breaking the sad tune now and then with
a stifled sob.
It must be here remarked that this animal was now addressed as 'Mary
Carmichael,' after the tragic part she had taken in the tableaux
vivants, for to call such a dark and heavy-minded creature a 'Light'
horse was absurd.
Later in the morning they were suddenly startled by a strange apparition
that came up over a hillock towards them. They all made a rampart of
their bundles and prepared for the worst, but it was nothing more
terrible than a small costermonger driving a donkey in a barrow, piled
full of bits of glittering rock. The donkey kicked violently after every
two or three steps, and at every kick the barrow-load of stones rattled
fearfully, and the small coster brought down a flat piece of wood on the
donkey's back, and abused it in the rudest way.
'What ho, there!' squeaked the driver on his approach after the manner
of the olden times. 'Where's the tent for the circus?'
'We're not a circus,' said Baby Jane indignantly, 'and you are much more
odd-looking than we. What are you doing here?'
'Well, you see,' said he, 'the geranium business at home is overcrowded,
and so Edouardo and I--his name in full is Edouardo de Frisky, because
of his voice; there is a singer named that or something like it--have
come out here and gone into the gold-mine business. There's a little
gold-mine in the cart now; we gave one-and-tenpence for it, and we are
going to sell it--all except the good parts--for sixpence a piece. I
tell you it is better even than the strawberry business, with eight
strawberries on the top and all the rest leaves. And what game are you
playing?'
Baby Jane said she was not playing any game, and rather shyly explained
her mission, expecting the little coster to jeer; but, though he was
only moderately honest and very ill-mannered, he was a good-hearted
little fellow.
'Now that's a fine thing to do,' said he warmly, 'and I'm your man. I'll
tip the rubbish out of my barrow and come along with you.'
Then he added confidentially, 'But we might turn them into a circus
afterwards and make a lot of money.'
And so Sammy and Edouardo joined the family, and they journeyed on
together.
At first the other creatures looked askance at Edouardo, but after a
while they found he was an animal of great character, and made friends
with him--all except Mary Carmichael, who chose to be jealous--but the
Bear was his great chum.
Of course the barrow was a great delight to the party, but they were so
eager to ride in it that they nearly broke it by all crowding in
together. They took it in turns to put on the harness and pull, except
the Rabbit, Patsey, and the Piccaninny, and they, not being able to take
their turn in pulling, were not allowed to ride properly, but had to
hang on at the back on the sly, until Miss Crocodile noticed them and
cried 'Whip behind!'
The Lion was too much engaged with Edouardo to hear her, and so she had
to slap them herself.
This seemed very unjust to the three, and Miss Crocodile's slaps hurt
them still more, so they lagged some way behind and plotted together to
be avenged on Miss Crocodile.
Of course, if Baby Jane had seen, she would have set things right, but
she was walking on ahead with Sammy, discussing how they should collect
an army, and planning new instruction for the creatures in the meantime.
They had got so far ahead as to be almost out of sight of the party in
the barrow, who steered a very roundabout course, when they came upon a
young but vicious-looking hippopotamus lying in wait behind a cactus
bush--evidently a spy sent after them by the Black Mountain band. With
its mouth wide open it made a rush at them, and Baby Jane in terror
collapsed on the ground and covered her face. But the fierce brute had
not considered that it had to reckon with an English boy, and with one
who knew how to box.
[Illustration: She had to slap them herself.]
Standing before the little girl in a skilful attitude of defence, as the
hippopotamus came on, Sammy chucked it under the chin, as it were, with
all the strength of his arm, and down it went with a dull bump that
shook the ground, the most surprised hippopotamus you ever saw. No
second blow was needed; the beast rolled itself on to its feet, and
muttering dreadful threats--quite indistinctly, for it had bitten its
tongue in a painful way--rushed away across the desert towards the Black
Mountains.
[Illustration: Sammy chucked it under the chin, as it were.]
'You are a brave boy,' said Baby Jane softly, looking up at Sammy.
'Oh, it's nothing,' he said, but he turned very red with pride.
When the creatures came to hear of this deed they were all mad to learn
how to box, so, at the halt for dinner, Sammy produced a set of boxing
gloves and gave them lessons. After they were taught they practised
among themselves. Then, as Baby Jane had feared, there was a squabble.
No gloves could temper the hardness of Mary Carmichael's hoofs, and
when, with an irritating sadness of expression, she hit the lion in the
eye, that creature could stand it no longer. So they had to be forbidden
to use their skill except against an enemy. Of course they all longed to
do so, but the Rabbit was very wrong to do as he did. It was the act of
a bully.
Searching about among the sandhills, he came upon a little duck
squatting beside a pool, and without any reason whatever, for the duck
was perfectly inoffensive, he made the most insulting remark, and, when
the duck mildly retorted, he set upon it and pummelled it cruelly.
Luckily Baby Jane caught him in the act, and, picking him up by the
scruff of his neck, gave him such slaps that his fat little ribs sounded
like a drum.
When she set him down he rushed in a bad, sulky mood to his friends.
Now for some time Miss Crocodile had been dozing beside the barrow, for
her arms were too short to protect her long nose, so that boxing was an
unpleasant amusement for her. This was the three conspirators'
opportunity.
A little later Baby Jane and the others, who were some little way off,
were startled by the loud rattle of the approaching barrow and by wild,
triumphant shrieks.
Then, with her eyes starting out of her head--even more than ever--Miss
Crocodile, fully harnessed, went flying past, and behind, clinging
together in the barrow, sat the three conspirators wild with excitement
and delight.
They had slipped the shafts over her and harnessed her while she
dozed. Then they perched in a row upon the seat, and when all was
ready--one--two--three--and all together!--they brought a board down on
the full length of her back with a clap like thunder.
Startled from her beauty-sleep, she sprang away like a hare, and scoured
the plain in whirling circles.
Unluckily for the Rabbit and his friends, in one of these wild
whirlings, the very pond beside which he had ill-used the duck suddenly
appeared before them.
[Illustration: Three draggled little creatures crawled out.]
Crash! Splash! Miss Crocodile, now cooled and quieted, came out on the
far side, drawing the overturned barrow behind her, and then three
little round heads appeared in a row above the water, all driving for
the shore, and a moment later three draggled little creatures crawled
out amid the laughter of the others.
Baby Jane dried them for fear they should catch cold, but, except that
she rubbed them till they squeaked, she forebore from adding to their
punishment.
After that, they set the barrow straight and proceeded quietly, pausing
every now and again for Sammy to explain a lecture on hop-scotch by
examples. Baby Jane herself had never played the game, and thought it
fun, for a change, to be a pupil. They soon grew so excited that they
had to stop and play a little hop-scotch tournament.
Coolness is half the battle in games, and again Mary Carmichael proved
her prowess, and was proclaimed champion hop-schotcher of the Southern
Sahara. Perhaps Sammy himself could have won easily, but Baby Jane made
him a little sign, and, like the young sportsman that he was, he did not
spoil the game, but allowed himself to be beaten.
'But _you_ know I could have won, Miss?' he asked anxiously of Baby Jane
when it was over.
'Of course I do,' said she; 'you were very unselfish'; which quite
satisfied Sammy.
This caused a good deal of delay, and they made up for it by hurrying at
a great rate afterwards. Nevertheless they contrived even then to amuse
themselves as they went, for the ingenious Sammy had thought of
leap-frog.
[Illustration: It was a picturesque sight.]
It was a picturesque sight. Like a river of living waves they flowed
across the desert--occasionally a wave broke, but generally they pursued
the even tenor of their way. Poor Baby Jane felt that it would be
unladylike to play, so had to keep company with Edouardo, who had a mind
above leap-frog, with the barrow.
'If only I had my gymnasium things with me!' she sighed.
By this time it was growing dusk, and they could not clearly see their
way. It must have been partly for this reason, and partly because they
were carried away by the excitement of the game, that--horrible to
relate!--a gully suddenly yawned before them, and, before the leading
leapers could give warning, the living river was changed into a living
cascade, which poured over the brink and down with a rush and rattle to
the bottom. Luckily, there was a thick bed of ferns and moss to receive
them; but as it was, the lowest layer of creatures had all the breath
bumped out of them by the shower of heavy bodies that dropped plump upon
them.
You may know how it rains cats and dogs, but you can hardly imagine it
raining the whole 'Zoo.'
Edouardo, who was drawing the barrow, pulled up on the very brink of the
precipice; but with such a jerk that, alas for Baby Jane, she performed
a wilder somersault than she had dreamt of, even in a nightmare, and
landed on the top of the pile.
It took some time to unbuild the pyramid, because the lowest layer
heaved so strongly that it upset the upper layer as they tried to rise.
But, after a while, they were all upon their feet again, bruised,
panting, possibly a little flatter and wider than before, but otherwise
unhurt.
Then they began to look about for a way out of the gully. It was very
deep and narrow, but not very long, and they had soon explored it
thoroughly, and made a terrible discovery--there was no way out but up
the smooth, upright sides. Up above they saw Edouardo's head cut out in
black against the darkening sky, as he peered helplessly over the edge.
Mary Carmichael set up a shrill wail, but the others all looked very
solemn and stood in a circle round Baby Jane gazing at her, as she stood
with her hands over her face trying to make her little brains work more
quietly and calmly. Now out of all the hours of her life she most needed
all her little stock of memory and knowledge. What would a grown-up
person do in such a plight? But no thoughts would come, and her chin
sank lower on her breast.
'Only magic can save us,' said the Lion at last. 'Does any one know of a
spell?'
The party all racked their brains, but nothing came of it.
Suddenly Baby Jane uncovered her face.
'Yes, I know of a _real_ spell,' she said smiling, and then with her
face turned frankly up to the narrow sky she uttered a few words, which
the creatures could not understand, and which puzzled Sammy. 'Now we
have only got to wait,' said she.
[Illustration: Still the eagle rose.]
Soon afterwards a most wonderful thing happened. Overhead suddenly there
came the sound of rushing wings, and a gigantic eagle, who had seen the
disaster from afar, swooped into the ravine, and, clutching the Bear,
was rising with him, when the Lion made a grab at the Bear's feet, and
he too was borne upwards. Then Mary Carmichael clasped her forelegs
round the Lion, and she ascended also. One after another they seized the
last pair of legs, and rose until the whole band was dangling from the
Bear's legs. Still the eagle rose, now very like a kite with a long
tail, and would have soared with them all into the air had not Edouardo
on the top of the precipice seized the last pair of legs as they swayed
towards him. That was the last straw, and the eagle let fall the string
of creatures with a flop upon the open desert--they were saved!
[Illustration: A string of 'sandwich-men.']