The Society of Puddin'-owners were up bright and early next morning, and
had the billy on and tea made before six o'clock, which is the best part
of the day, because the world has just had his face washed, and the air
smells like Pears' soap.
'Aha,' said Bill Barnacle, cutting up slices of the Puddin', 'this is
what I call grand. Here we are, after a splendid night's sleep on dry
leaves, havin' a smokin' hot slice of steak-and-kidney for breakfast
round the camp fire. What could be more delightful?'
'What indeed?' said Bunyip Bluegum sipping tea.
'Why, as I always say,' said Bill, 'if there's one thing more entrancin'
than sittin' round a camp fire in the evenin' it's sitting round a camp
fire in the mornin'. No bed and blankets and breakfast tables for Bill
Barnacle. For as I says in my "Breakfast Ballad"--
'If there's anythin' better than lyin' on leaves,
It's risin' from leaves at dawnin',
If there's anythin' better than sleepin' at eve,
It's wakin' up in the mawnin'.
'If there's anythin' better than camp firelight,
It's bright sunshine on wakin'.
If there's anythin' better than puddin' at night,
It's puddin' when day is breakin'.
'If there's anythin' better than singin' away
While the stars are gaily shinin',
Why, it's singin' a song at dawn of day,
On puddin' for breakfast dinin'.'
[Illustration]
There was a hearty round of applause at this song, for as Bunyip Bluegum
remarked, 'Singing at breakfast should certainly be more commonly
indulged in, as it greatly tends to enliven what is on most occasions a
somewhat dull proceeding.'
'One of the great advantages of being a professional Puddin'-owner,'
said Sam Sawnoff, 'is that songs at breakfast are always encouraged.
None of the ordinary breakfast rules, such as scowling while eating, and
saying the porridge is as stiff as glue and the eggs are as tough as
leather, are observed. Instead, songs, roars of laughter, and boisterous
jests are the order of the day. For example, this sort of thing,' added
Sam, doing a rapid back-flap and landing with a thump on Bill's head. As
Bill was unprepared for this act of boisterous humour, his face was
pushed into the Puddin' with great violence, and the gravy was splashed
in his eye.
[Illustration]
'What d'yer mean, playin' such bungfoodlin' tricks on a man at
breakfast?' roared Bill.
'What d'yer mean,' shouted the Puddin', 'playing such foodbungling
tricks on a Puddin' being breakfasted at?'
'Breakfast humour, Bill, merely breakfast humour,' said Sam hastily.
'Humour's humour,' shouted Bill, 'but puddin' in the whiskers is no
joke.'
'Whiskers in the Puddin' is worse than puddin' in the whiskers,' shouted
the Puddin', standing up in his basin.
'Observe the rules, Bill,' said Sam hurriedly. 'Boisterous humour at the
breakfast table must be greeted with roars of laughter.'
'To Jeredelum with the rules,' shouted Bill. 'Pushing a man's face into
his own breakfast is beyond rules or reason, and deserves a punch in the
gizzard.'
Seeing matters arriving at this unpromising situation, Bunyip Bluegum
interposed by saying, 'Rather than allow this happy occasion to be
marred by unseemly recriminations, let us, while admitting that our
admirable friend, Sam, may have unwittingly disturbed the composure of
our admirable friend, Bill, at the expense of our admirable Puddin's
gravy, let us, I say, by the simple act of extending the hand of
friendship, dispel in an instant these gathering clouds of disruption.
In the words of the poem--
'Then let the fist of Friendship
Be kept for Friendship's foes.
Ne'er let that hand in anger land
On Friendship's holy nose.'
These fine sentiments at once dispelled Bill's anger. He shook hands
warmly with Sam, wiped the gravy from his face, and resumed breakfast
with every appearance of hearty good humour.
The meal over, the breakfast things were put away in the bag, Sam and
Bill took Puddin' between them, and all set off along the road,
enlivening the way with song and story. Bill regaled them with portions
of the 'Ballad of the _Salt Junk Sarah_', which is one of those songs
that go on for ever. Its great advantage, as Bill remarked, was that as
it hadn't got an ending it didn't need a beginning, so you could start
it anywhere.
'As for instance,' said Bill, and he roared out--
'Ho, aboard the _Salt Junk Sarah_,
Rollin' home across the line,
The Bo'sun collared the Captain's hat
And threw it in the brine.
Rollin' home, rollin' home,
Rollin' home across the foam,
The Captain sat without a hat
The whole way rollin' home.'
[Illustration]
Entertaining themselves in this way as they strolled along, they were
presently arrested by shouts of 'Fire! Fire!' and a Fireman in a large
helmet came bolting down the road, pulling a fire hose behind him.
'Aha!' said Bill. 'Now we shall have the awe-inspirin' spectacle of a
fire to entertain us,' and, accosting the Fireman, he demanded to know
where the fire was.
'The fact is,' said the Fireman, 'that owing to the size of this helmet
I can't see where it is; but if you will kindly glance at the
surrounding district, you'll see it about somewhere.'
They glanced about and, sure enough, there was a fire burning in the
next field. It was only a cowshed, certainly, but it was blazing very
nicely, and well worth looking at.
'Fire,' said Bill, 'in the form of a common cowshed, is burnin' about
nor'-nor'-east as the crow flies.'
'In that case,' said the Fireman, 'I invite all present bravely to
assist in putting it out. But,' he added impressively, 'if you'll take
my advice, you'll shove that Puddin' in this hollow log and roll a
stone agen the end to keep him in, for if he gets too near the flames
he'll be cooked again and have his flavour ruined.'
[Illustration]
'This is a very sensible feller,' said Bill, and though Puddin' objected
strongly, he was at once pushed into a log and securely fastened in with
a large stone.
[Illustration]
'How'd you like to be shoved in a blooming log,' he shouted at Bill,
'when you was burning with anxiety to see the fire?' but Bill said
severely, 'Be sensible, Albert, fires is too dangerous to Puddin's
flavours.'
No more time was lost in seizing the hose and they set off with the
greatest enthusiasm. For, as everyone knows, running with the reel is
one of the grand joys of being a fireman. They had the hose fixed to a
garden tap in no time, and soon were all hard at work, putting out the
fire.
[Illustration]
Of course there was a great deal of smoke and shouting, and getting
tripped up by the hose, and it was by the merest chance Bunyip Bluegum
glanced back in time to see the Wombat in the act of stealing the
Puddin' from the hollow log.
'Treachery is at work,' he shouted.
'Treachery,' roared Bill, and with one blow on the snout knocked the
Fireman endways on into the burning cinders, where his helmet fell off,
and exposed the countenance of that snooting, snouting scoundrel, the
Possum.
The Possum, of course, hadn't expected to have his disguise pierced so
swiftly, and, though he managed to scramble out of the fire in time to
save his bacon, he was considerably singed down the back.
'What a murderous attack!' he exclaimed. 'O, what a brutal attempt to
burn a man alive!' and as some hot cinders had got down his back he gave
a sharp yell and ran off, singeing and smoking. Bill, distracted with
rage, ran after the Possum, then changed his mind and ran after the
Wombat, so that, what with running first after one and then after the
other, they both had time to get clean away, and disappeared over the
skyline.
'I see it all,' shouted Bill, casting himself down in despair. 'Them low
puddin'-thieves has borrowed a fireman's helmet, collared a hose, an'
set fire to a cowshed in order to lure us away from the Puddin'.'
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
'The whole thing's a low put-up job on our noble credulity,' said Sam,
casting himself down beside Bill.
'It's one of the most frightful things that's ever happened,' said Bill.
'It's worse than treading on tacks with bare feet,' said Sam.
'It's worse than bein' caught stealin' fowls,' said Bill.
'It's worse than bein' stood on by cows,' said Sam.
[Illustration]
'It's almost as bad as havin' an uncle called Aldobrantifoscofornio,'
said Bill, and they both sang loudly--
'It's worse than weevils, worse than warts,
It's worse than corns to bear.
It's worse than havin' several quarts
Of treacle in your hair.
'It's worse than beetles in the soup,
It's worse than crows to eat.
It's worse than wearin' small-sized boots
Upon your large-sized feet.
'It's worse than kerosene to boose,
It's worse than ginger hair.
It's worse than anythin' to lose
A Puddin' rich and rare.'
[Illustration]
Bunyip Bluegum reproved this despondency, saying, 'Come, come, this is
no time for giving way to despair. Let us, rather, by the fortitude of
our bearing prove ourselves superior to this misfortune and, with the
energy of justly enraged men, pursue these malefactors, who have so
richly deserved our vengeance. Arise!'
'Bravely spoken,' said Bill, immediately recovering from despair.
'The grass is green, the day is fair,
The dandelions abound.
Is this a time for sad despair
And sitting on the ground?
'Our Puddin' in some darksome lair
In iron chains is bound,
While puddin'-snatchers on him fare,
And eat him by the pound.
'Let gloom give way to angry glare,
Let weak despair be drowned,
Let vengeance in its rage declare
Our Puddin' must be found.
'Then let's resolve to do and dare.
Let teeth with rage be ground.
Let voices to the heavens declare
Our Puddin' MUST be found.'
'Those gallant words have fired our blood,' said Sam, and they both
shook hands with Bunyip, to show that they were now prepared to follow
the call of vengeance.
'In order to investigate this dastardly outrage,' said Bunyip, 'we must
become detectives, and find a clue. We must find somebody who has seen a
singed possum. Once traced to their lair, mother-wit will suggest some
means of rescuing our Puddin'.'
They set off at once, and, after a brisk walk, came to a small house
with a signboard on it saying, 'Henderson Hedgehog, Horticulturist'.
Henderson himself was in the garden, horticulturing a cabbage, and they
asked him if he had chanced to see a singed possum that morning.
'What's that? What, what?' said Henderson Hedgehog, and when they had
repeated the question, he said, 'You must speak up, I'm a trifle deaf.'
'Have you seen a singed possum?' shouted Bill.
'I can't hear you,' said Henderson.
'Have you seen a SINGED POSSUM?' roared Bill.
'To be sure,' said Henderson, 'but the turnips are backward.'
'Turnips be stewed,' yelled Bill in such a tremendous voice that he blew
his own hat off. 'HAVE YOU SEEN A SINGED POSSUM?'
'Good season for wattle blossom,' said Henderson. 'Well, yes, but a very
poor season for carrots.'
'A man might as well talk to a carrot as try an' get sense out of this
runt of a feller,' said Bill, disgusted. 'Come an' see if we can't find
someone that it won't bust a man's vocal cords gettin' information out
of.'
They left Henderson to his horticulturing and walked on till they met a
Parrot who was a Swagman, or a Swagman who was a Parrot. He must have
been one or the other, if not both, for he had a bag and a swag, and a
beak, and a billy, and a thundering bad temper into the bargain, for the
moment Bill asked him if he had met a singed possum he shouted back--
'Me eat a singed possum! I wouldn't eat a possum if he was singed,
roasted, boiled, or fried.'
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
'Not ett--met,' shouted Bill. 'I said, met a singed possum.'
'Why can't yer speak plainly, then,' said the Parrot. 'Have you got a
fill of tobacco on yer?'
He took out his pipe and scowled at Bill.
'Here you are,' said Bill. 'Cut a fill an' answer the question.'
'All in good time,' said the Parrot, and he added to Sam, 'You got any
tobacco?'
Sam handed him a fill, and he put it in his pocket. 'You ain't got any
tobacco,' he said scornfully to Bunyip Bluegum. 'I can see that at a
glance. You're one of the non-smoking sort, all fur and feathers.'
'Here,' said Bill angrily. 'Enough o' this beatin' about the bush.
Answer the question.'
'Don't be impatient,' said the Parrot. 'Have you got a bit o' tea an'
sugar on yer?'
'Here's yer tea an' sugar,' said Bill, handing a little of each out of
the bag. 'And that's the last thing you get. Now will you answer the
question?'
'Wot question?' asked the Parrot.
'Have yer seen a singed possum?' roared Bill.
'No, I haven't,' said the Parrot, and he actually had the insolence to
laugh in Bill's face.
'Of all the swivel-eyed, up-jumped, cross-grained, sons of a cock-eyed
tinker,' exclaimed Bill, boiling with rage. 'If punching parrots on the
beak wasn't too painful for pleasure, I'd land you a sockdolager on the
muzzle that 'ud lay you out till Christmas. Come on, mates,' he added,
'it's no use wastin' time over this low-down, hook-nosed
tobacco-grabber.' And leaving the evil-minded Parrot to pursue his
evil-minded way, they hurried off in search of information.
The next person they spied was a Bandicoot carrying a watermelon. At a
first glance you would have thought it was merely a watermelon walking
by itself, but a second glance would have shown you that the walking was
being done by a small pair of legs attached to the watermelon, and a
third glance would have disclosed that the legs were attached to a
Bandicoot.
They shouted, 'Hi, you with the melon!' to attract his attention, and
set off running after him, and the Bandicoot, being naturally of a
terrified disposition, ran for all he was worth. He wasn't worth much as
a runner, owing to the weight of the watermelon, and they caught him up
half-way across the field.
[Illustration]
Conceiving that his hour had come, the Bandicoot gave a shrill squeak of
terror and fell on his knees.
'Take me watermelon,' he gasped,'but spare me life.'
'Stuff an' nonsense,' said Bill. 'We don't want your life. What we want
is some information. Have you seen a singed possum about this morning?'
'Singed possums, sir, yes sir, certainly sir,' gasped the Bandicoot,
trembling violently.
'What!' exclaimed Bill, 'do yer mean to say you have seen a singed
possum?'
'Singed possums, sir, yes sir,' gulped the Bandicoot. 'Very plentiful,
sir, this time of the year, sir, owing to the bush fires, sir.'
'Rubbish,' roared Bill. 'I don't believe he's seen a singed possum at
all.'
'No, sir,' quavered the Bandicoot. 'Certainly not, sir. Wouldn't think
of seeing singed possums if there was any objection, sir.'
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
'You're a poltroon,' shouted Bill. 'You're a slaverin', quaverin',
melon-carryin' nincompoop. There's no more chance of getting information
out of you than out of a terrified Turnip.'
Leaving the Bandicoot to pursue his quavering, melon-humping existence,
they set off again, Bill giving way to some very despondent expressions.
'As far as I can see,' he said, 'if we can't find somethin' better than
stone-deaf hedgehogs, peevish parrots, and funkin' bandicoots we may as
well give way to despair.'
Bunyip Bluegum was forced to exert his finest oratory to inspire them to
another frame of mind. 'Let it never be said,' he exclaimed, 'that the
unconquerable hearts of Puddin'-owners quailed before a parrot, a
hedgehog, or a bandicoot.'
'Let hedgehogs deaf go delve and dig,
Immune from loudest howl,
Let bandicoots lump melons big,
Let peevish parrots prowl.
'Shall puddin'-owners bow the head
At such affronts as these?
No, No! March on, by anger led,
Our Puddin' to release.
'Let courage high resolve inflame
Our captive Pud to free;
Our banner wave, our words proclaim
We march to victory!'
'Bravely sung,' exclaimed Bill, grasping Bunyip Bluegum by the hand, and
they proceeded with expressions of the greatest courage and
determination.
As a reward for this renewed activity, they got some useful information
from a Rooster who was standing at his front gate looking up and down
the road, and wishing to heaven that somebody would come along for him
to talk to. They got, in fact, a good deal more information than they
asked for, for the Rooster was one of those fine up-standing, bumptious
skites who love to talk all day, in the heartiest manner, to total
strangers while their wives do the washing.
[Illustration]
'Singed possum,' he exclaimed, when they had put the usual question to
him. 'Now, what an extraordinary thing that you should come along and
ask me that question. What an astounding and incredible thing that you
should actually use the word "singed" in connexion with the word
"possum". Though mind you, the word I had in my mind was not "singed",
but "burning". And not "possum", but "feathers". Now, I'll tell you why.
Only this morning, as I was standing here, I said to myself "somebody's
been burning feathers". I called out at once to the wife--fine woman,
the wife, you'll meet her presently--"Have you been burning feathers?"
"No", says she. "Well," said I, "if you haven't been burning feathers,
somebody else has." At the very moment that I'm repeating the words
"feathers" and "burning" you come along and repeat the words "singed"
and "possum". Instantly I call to mind that at the identical moment that
I smelt something burning, I saw a possum passing this very gate, though
whether he happened to be singed or not I didn't inquire.'
'Which way did he go?' inquired Bill excitedly.
'Now, let me see,' said the Rooster. 'He went down the road, turned to
the right, gave a jump and a howl, and set off in the direction of
Watkin Wombat's summer residence.'
'The very man we're after,' shouted Bill, and bolted off down the road,
followed by the others, without taking any notice of the Rooster's
request to wait a minute and be introduced to the wife.
'His wife may be all right,' said Bill as they ran, 'but what I say is,
blow meetin' a bloomin' old Rooster's wife when you haven't got a year
to waste listenin' to a bloomin' old Rooster.'
They followed the Rooster's directions with the utmost rapidity, and
came to a large hollow tree with a door in the side and a notice-board
nailed up which said, 'Watkin Wombat, Esq., Summer Residence'.
The door was locked, but it was clear that the puddin'-thieves were
inside, because they heard the Possum say peevishly, 'You're eating too
much, and here's me, most severely singed, not getting sufficient', and
the Wombat was heard to say, 'What you want is soap', but the Possum
said angrily, 'What I need is immense quantities of puddin'.'
The avengers drew aside to hold a consultation.
'What's to be done?' said Bill. 'It's no use knockin', because they'd
look through the keyhole and refuse to come out, and, not bein'
burglars, we can't bust the door in. It seems to me that there's nothin'
for it but to give way to despair.'
[Illustration]
'Never give way to despair while whiskers can be made from dry grass,'
said Bunyip Bluegum, and suiting the action to the word, he swiftly made
a pair of fine moustaches out of dried grass and stuck them on with
wattle gum. 'Now, lend me your hat,' he said to Bill, and taking the hat
he turned up the brim, dented in the top, and put it on. 'The bag is
also required,' he said to Sam, and taking that in his hand and turning
his coat inside out, he stood before them completely disguised.
'You two,' he said, 'must remain in hiding behind the tree. You will
hear me knock, accost the ruffians and hold them in conversation. The
moment you hear me exclaim loudly, "Hey, Presto! Pots and Pans", you
will dart out and engage the villains at fisticuffs. The rest leave to
me.'
[Illustration]
Waiting till the others were hidden behind the tree, Bunyip rapped
smartly on the door which opened presently and the Wombat put his head
out cautiously.
'Have I the extreme pleasure of addressing Watkin Wombat, Esq.?'
inquired Bunyip Bluegum, with a bow.
Of course, seeing a perfect stranger at the door, the Wombat had no
suspicions, and said at once, 'Such is the name of him you see before
you.'
'I have called to see you,' said Bunyip, 'on a matter of business. The
commodity which I vend is Pootles's Patent Pudding Enlarger, samples of
which I have in the bag. As a guarantee of good faith we are giving
samples of our famous Enlarger away to all well-known Puddin'-owners.
The Enlarger, one of the wonders of modern science, has but to be poured
over the puddin', with certain necessary incantations, and the puddin'
will be instantly enlarged to double its normal size.' He took some
sugar from the bag and held it up. 'I am now about to hand you some of
this wonderful discovery. But,' he added impressively, 'the operation of
enlarging the puddin' is a delicate one, and must be performed in the
open air. Produce your puddin', and I will at once apply Pootles's
Patent with marvellous effect.'
'Of course it's understood that no charge is to be made,' said the
Possum, hurrying out.
'No charge whatever,' said Bunyip Bluegum.
So on the principle of always getting something for nothing, as the
Wombat said, Puddin' was brought out and placed on the ground.
'Now watch me closely,' said Bunyip Bluegum. He sprinkled the Puddin'
with sugar, made several passes with his hands, and pronounced these
words--
[Illustration]
'Who incantations utters
He generally mutters
His gruesome blasts and bans
But I, you need not doubt it,
Prefer aloud to shout it,
Hey, Presto! Pots and Pans.'
Out sprang Bill and Sam and set about the puddin'-thieves like a pair of
windmills, giving them such a clip-clap clouting and a flip-flap
flouting, that what with being punched and pounded, and clipped and
clapped, they had only enough breath left to give two shrieks of despair
while scrambling back into Watkin Wombat's Summer Residence, and banging
the door behind them. The three friends had Puddin' secured in no time,
and shook hands all round, congratulating Bunyip Bluegum on the success
of his plan.
'Your noble actin',' said Bill, 'has saved our Puddin's life.'
'Them puddin'-thieves,' said Sam, 'was children in your hands.'
'We hear you,' sang out the Possum, and the Wombat added, 'Oh, what
deceit!'
'Enough of you two,' shouted Bill. 'If we catch you sneakin' after our
Puddin' again, you'll get such a beltin' that you'll wish you was
vegetarians. And now,' said he, 'for a glorious reunion round the camp
fire.'
And a glorious reunion they had, tucking into hot steak-and-kidney
puddin' and boiled jam roll, which, after the exertions of the day, went
down, as Bill said, 'Grand'.
'If them puddin'-thieves ain't sufferin' the agonies of despair at this
very moment, I'll eat my hat along with the Puddin',' said Bill,
exultantly.
'Indeed,' said Bunyip Bluegum, 'the consciousness that our enemies are
deservedly the victims of acute mental and physical anguish, imparts, it
must be admitted, an additional flavour to the admirable Puddin'.'
'Well spoken,' said Bill, admiringly. 'Which I will say, that for
turning off a few well-chosen words no parson in the land is the equal
of yourself.'
'Your health!' said Bunyip Bluegum.
The singing that evening was particularly loud and prolonged, owing to
the satisfaction they all felt at the recovery of their beloved Puddin'.
The Puddin', who had got the sulks over Sam's remarks that fifteen goes
of steak-and-kidney were enough for any self-respecting man, protested
against the singing, which, he said, disturbed his gravy. '"More eating
and less noise" is my motto,' he said, and he called Bill a
leather-headed old barrel organ for reproving him.
'Albert is a spoilt child, I fear,' said Bill, shoving him into the bag
to keep him quiet, and without more ado, led off with--
[Illustration]
'Ho! aboard the _Salt Junk Sarah_,
Rollin' home around the Horn,
The Bo'sun pulls the Captain's nose
For treatin' him with scorn.
'Rollin' home, rollin' home,
Rollin' home across the foam.
The Bo'sun goes with thumps and blows
The whole way rollin' home.'
'But,' said Bill to Bunyip Bluegum, after about fifteen verses of the
_Salt Junk Sarah_, 'the superior skill, ingenuity and darin' with which
you bested them puddin'-snatchers reminds me of a similar incident in
Sam's youth, which I will now sing you. The incident, though similar as
regards courage an' darin', is totally different in regard to everythin'
else, and is entitled--
[Illustration]