The birds flew close together and made great speed, and in about three
hours from the time they started an island appeared just ahead of them.
Whereupon John said to the bird that bore him:
"Let us stop here, so we can examine the island and see how we like it.
This cord is cutting into my gingerbread body, and I'd like to stop for
a time, anyway."
"Very well," answered the bird; and when they were over the center of
the island the flamingoes gradually descended and alighted upon the
ground. John untied the cord from his waist, and also assisted Chick
and Para Bruin to free themselves. The bear was not injured at all,
but the cord had worn a straight line around John's body, although not
very deep; and in some way the gingerbread man had lost another of his
lozenge buttons.
The place where they had alighted was covered by grass and surrounded
by groves of trees.
"This looks like a fine country," said Chick, gazing around.
"It's better than our old island, anyway," remarked Para Bruin.
But just as he spoke the flamingoes uttered shrill screams and flew
quickly into the air, and our friends turned in time to see a most
curious creature come from the grove and approach them.
[Illustration]
It had somewhat the likeness of a man, yet was too queer ever to be
mistaken for a human being, although it was certainly alive. Its body
was a huge punching-bag, and its head was a foot-ball. For legs it had
two of those golf-clubs called "putters," and one of its arms was a
tennis-racket and the other a base-ball club. This was curious enough,
in all conscience; but the face was more curious yet. For the eyes were
golf balls, and the nose a square of billiard-chalk, and its mouth a
mere slit in the foot-ball where the lacing had come undone. Taken
altogether, this odd creature presented a most surprising appearance,
and while John Dough and Para Bruin stared at it in amazement Chick
boldly asked:
"Who are you?"
"Sport is my name, and sport my nature," answered the creature, winking
one eye frightfully, and grinning until its queer mouth curled up at
both corners of the slit.
"Sport," remarked the rubber bear, gravely, "is something amusing; so I
am sure you are misnamed."
"Oh! you're a balloon," returned Sport, kicking at the bear with one of
his golf-club feet; "the kid's a chucklehead and the other's a bun."
"I'm not a bun!" exclaimed John, indignantly.
"Yes, you are! Cross bun, too. Hot cross bun. Cool off, old chap, and
look pleasant."
John was too angry to reply to this speech, but Chick said to the
creature:
"If you're going to be so disagreeable, you'd better leave us. We don't
care to associate with people of your sort."
"Ho, ho! ha, ha!" laughed Sport; "don't care to associate, eh? Do you
know where you are?"
"No," said Chick, "and I don't care."
[Illustration: THE RETIRED PIRATES]
"Well, this island is inhabited by retired pirates and bandits, who
make every one that lands here pay a heavy ransom, or else--"
"Or else what?" asked John, as Sport stopped short and gave another
horrid wink.
"Or else they boil 'em in oil for three days," was the reply.
"Well," said the bear, "we can't pay a ransom, that's certain; but I'm
not afraid of being boiled in oil. I'm practically indestructible."
"But I'm not!" cried John, much alarmed. "It would ruin my gingerbread
to be boiled in oil, and Chick would certainly get overheated. I'm
afraid it would melt your rubber, too, my dear Para."
"Would it?" asked the bear, with a start. "Then let us get away from
this island at once!"
"By all means!" agreed John Dough.
"And the sooner the better," declared Chick.
But as they turned to look for the flamingoes, the creature who
called himself Sport began pounding his punching-bag body with his
tennis-racket arm, and at the sound a crowd of men ran out of groves
of trees and quickly surrounded the rubber bear and Chick and the
gingerbread man.
These men had heavy beards, hooked noses, and piercing black eyes; and
they wore red sashes tied around their waists; and laced leggings, and
blue flannel shirts open at the throats; and in their belts were stuck
many daggers and knives and pistols.
"Whoop! whoo--o--o!" they screeched, yelling like Indians; and their
leader, who was uglier looking than any of his followers, cried out:
"Avast, there, my hearties! Here's a chance for either a fine ransom or
a pot of boiling oil!"
"Then it's the oil," said Para Bruin, despondently; "for we have no
ransom."
"You may as well start the bonfire," remarked Chick.
But John Dough stepped up to the pirate chief and asked:
"How much ransom do you require?"
"Well," answered the chief, "you're not worth much, yourself, and the
child's too small to count; but a fine rubber bear like that is worth
ten pieces-of-eight or a sparkling jewel."
"I will give you a sparkling jewel for him, as a ransom," said John,
"provided you will then permit us to depart in peace."
"All right," agreed the pirate; "hand over the sparkler and you may
go."
[Illustration]
So John borrowed a dagger from the chief and picked out of his body
one of the three diamonds which the inventor had given him in the Isle
of Phreex. It glittered most beautifully in the sunlight, and the eyes
of the pirate also glittered with greed. For he had noticed two other
scars on John's gingerbread body, similar to the one the diamond had
been picked out of. Taking the diamond in his dirty hand he said:
"Well, where are the other jewels?"
"You agreed to accept this one as our ransom," answered the gingerbread
man.
"You misunderstood me. I said three," declared the pirate; and turning
to his men he shouted: "Didn't I say three, boys?"
"You did! You said three sparklers!" cried the retired pirates and
bandits, in a loud chorus. So John, with a sigh of regret, picked the
other two diamonds out of his body and gave them to the chief.
"Now," said the pirate, "I will allow you to go. But where you can go
to is a mystery to me, for you are on an island."
"Stop!" cried another man, as they turned to depart. "You've got to
settle with me, now. I'm the bandit chief, and I also demand a ransom."
"I have given the pirate chief all the diamonds I had," said John.
"Then you shall surely boil in oil!" shouted the bandit, scowling
fearfully. "Seize them, my men, and away with them to the fiery
furnace."
But just then came a flutter of wings, and the four flamingoes flew
down and sailed along just over the heads of the prisoners. Instantly
the bear clutched the end of a cord and was drawn upward by one of
the birds. John Dough grasped the foot of another flamingo with his
right hand, and was also raised high above the heads of the astonished
pirates and bandits, while Chick coolly sat within the loop of string
dangling from the two remaining birds and sailed into the sky with
admirable grace.
Meantime the robbers shook their fists and yelled at the escaped
prisoners in a frenzy of helpless rage.
"Wait a minute!" Para Bruin called to the flamingo which was carrying
him; for he observed that just beneath him was the form of the dreadful
person who had called himself Sport. The bird obeyed, remaining poised
in the air; and at once the bear curled himself into a ball, let go the
cord, and fell downward toward the ground.
The ball of rubber, rapidly descending, struck the surprised Sport and
smashed him flat upon the ground. Then up into the air bounded the
bear again, and caught once more the cord that was attached to the
flamingo's foot.
"Well done!" called the Cherub, while the pirates and bandits were
rushing to assist the helpless Sport.
"That was a noble deed, my good Para!" said the gingerbread man.
"Oh, I'm a bouncer, all right!" answered the bear, proudly. "But now
let us get away from this awful place as soon as possible."
So the flamingoes flew swiftly across the sea with them, and John Dough
found that he sailed more easily while clutching the bird's foot than
when the cord had been fastened around his body. Chick also rode with
perfect comfort, but Para Bruin was obliged to wrap the cord several
times around his fat paw, to prevent it from slipping out of his grasp.
[Illustration]