BUTTON IS SPEAKER
After Stubby had spoken, it was Button’s turn to tell what had befallen
him.
“If you animals will excuse me, I shall be greatly obliged, as I am no
speaker and nothing of interest has happened to me for a long time,” he
said.
“Oh, yes, there has! I know there has!” said Billy. “Go ahead and tell
them what happened to you at the Barbados!”
“Yes, do,” Stubby agreed. “That _was_ an extremely exciting experience.”
So Button mounted the rocky ledge and began:
“Our ship had anchored about two miles out in the roadstead, and
everyone was on deck waiting for the little rowboats to come to take
them ashore. The water is not deep enough at the wharf for sea-going
vessels to dock. As they waited, the passengers were hanging over the
rail watching the little negro boys dive for coins down into the deep,
deep waters where sharks and swordfish lurk awaiting a chance to
bite off an arm or leg or run a long sword into the body of an unwary
swimmer.
[Illustration]
“A man and his wife in a rowboat came up close to the ship to display
their wares. They had a lovely parrot in one cage and another full of
red, yellow and vari-colored birds for sale, and also jewelry cleverly
fashioned out of shells, and handbags made of the brown, glossy reeds
of a plant that grows on the island. I was watching the pair when quick
as a wink a man pushed me off the ship’s rail where I was curled up to
view all that went on beneath me.
“My surprise was so great when I found myself falling from the height
of the promenade deck that I could not think, and when I landed in the
woman’s lap in the rowboat, I would have leaped overboard had she not
held on to me.
[Illustration: BILLY SURPRISED AUGUSTA BY BUTTING HER RIGHT OVER HIS
HEAD, AND SHE LANDED IN THE TROUGH WITH A GREAT SPLASH. (PAGE 113)]
“The man who had pushed me overboard called out, ‘The cat for a
parrot! That cat is a valuable one but I will part with him for your
talking parrot.’
“To his surprise, the woman quickly agreed to the trade and tied the
parrot’s cage to a rope that was let down. The cage had just reached
the deck level and the man was untying it when I spied it as it was
loosened and swung in the woman’s lap. With a bound I grabbed it and
began to climb up. The woman’s husband stretched out his hand to stop
me but he was too late. I had climbed too high for him to reach me and
in trying to do so he came near upsetting his boat with all his wares
and his wife in it. Indeed, had it not been for the woman’s presence
of mind to throw her whole weight to the opposite side of the boat, it
would surely have capsized.
“When I reached the top of the rope, the man who had thrown me
overboard tried to prevent me from coming on deck by pushing my head
back. But at last I wearied of having him treat me so, and the next
time he touched me I reached out one paw and gave him a scratch that
quickly made him let go the rope. While he was nursing his hand and too
engrossed with the pain to think of what I was doing, I jumped aboard
and ran into the saloon. As I went, I heard the boatman and his wife
calling loudly to the man on board to send back their parrot or pay
them for it. After tormenting them for some time by pretending he was
going to keep the parrot, he wrapped some money in a paper and threw it
into their boat.
“I considered it a narrow escape for I would not have lived with that
couple for worlds. There is no country, no matter how beautiful, where
I have ever been or about which I have ever heard in which I should
like to live but the United States of America.
[Illustration]
“Well, as time went on, the man who bought the parrot neglected her so,
forgetting to feed her and give her water to drink and for her bath
that I felt sorry for her and I told her that when we stopped at the
Island of Trinidad I would open her cage door and let her out if she
thought she could fly ashore and take care of herself after she had
gained land.
“‘Of course I can, for my wings have never been clipped and on that
island grows every kind of food I need, just as in the Barbados.’
“‘Very well, then, I will open your cage door and free you,’ I promised.
“Consequently when we reached Trinidad, I wiggled and fussed with her
cage door until I succeeded in opening it. Then I had the pleasure of
seeing her fly for the shore, where she alighted on the top of a tall
cocoanut palm tree. How I did enjoy her owner’s discomfiture when he
discovered she was gone! He made a great fuss and said his bird had
been stolen and insisted the entire ship be searched for her, though
one of the sailors said he had seen a green parrot fly to shore shortly
after we had landed. He declared parrots are clever birds and said she
probably loosed the door with her bill and squeezed herself out, as he
had seen them do that trick before.”
The crowd cheered and cheered in the usual way and said they wished
Button would tell them another experience. But he hurried off the rock
platform and lost himself in the crowd so they could not press him to
tell another.