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DICK, MARJORIE AND FIDGE
A Search for the Wonderful Dodo
by
G. E. FARROW
Author of Adventures in Wallypug Land
With Many Illustrations by Allan Wright
[Illustration: The skipper found the poor bird looking the picture of
misery. "Hope you're feeling better, sir," he said.--Page 132. _Dick,
Marjorie and Fidge_.]
A. L. Burt, Publisher, 52-58 Duane Street, New York
TO MY DEAR LITTLE FRIENDS.
Here is another book! I hope it will be as fortunate in pleasing you, as
the others seem to have been, if I may judge from the many kind and
gratifying letters which have reached me from boys and girls, of all
ages and sizes, and from all parts of the world.
And in connection with these letters, which I always try (though the
pleasurable task grows heavier year by year) to answer myself, I have
had the misfortune to lose a large packet of unanswered ones; so if any
of my little correspondents have written to me during the past year, and
have not received a reply, will he or she write to me again, and give me
an opportunity of repairing the omission?
I am getting quite proud of my gallery of photographs, which my little
friends have sent me, and which, I think, please me almost more than
anything else, if I may except a beautiful Persian kitten which has
come as a present from a little girl at Hereford, and which is a prime
favorite with every one here, including Dick, my little terrier,
who--although he ought to know better at his age, being over
eight--"galumphs" about in an absurdly clumsy manner, under the mistaken
impression that he is playing with it. He only succeeds, however, in
making himself ridiculous in the eyes of the kitten, who, despite his
years, treats him with little or no respect, and does not hesitate to
box his ears, and bite his tail whenever it feels so disposed.
But I see my space is nearly exhausted, so must conclude, with very best
wishes, and hoping to hear again from all of my old friends, and as many
new ones as care to write.
Believe me,
Your affectionate friend,
THE AUTHOR.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE BEGINNING OF A MARVELLOUS JOURNEY 1
II. THE AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY 12
III. THE SAGE IN THE ONION FIELD 24
IV. STORIES AND TAILS BY THE SAGE 35
V. THE KING OF THE FISHES 47
VI. IN THE KING'S PRESENCE 59
VII. THE HUMAN RACE 68
VIII. THE DODO AT LAST 80
IX. AT THE NORTH POLE 92
X. SOME NEW ACQUAINTANCES 102
XI. THE SKIPPER OF THE "ARGONAUT" 113
XII. THE ARCHAEOPTERYX 125
XIII. THE LITTLE PANJANDRUM'S BALLOON 135
XIV. THE DUFF AND DEM EXECUTIONER 145
XV. THE EXECUTION OF THE DODO 155
XVI. THE PREHISTORIC DOCTOR 165
XVII. WAITING FOR THE TRAIN 175
XVIII. A NIGHT IN THE TRAIN 185
XIX. AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE 195
XX. A DIFFICULTY WITH THE ROUNDABOUT 216
XXI. THE LITTLE PANJANDRUM AT LAST 217
XXII. TURNED TO STONE 228
XXIII. THE DODO'S LITTLE RUSE 236
XXIV. FIRST CLASS TO LONDON 245
XXV. THE DODO OBLIGES WITH A SONG 255
XXVI. THE DODO DEPARTS 263
DICK, MARJORIE AND FIDGE.
CHAPTER I.
THE BEGINNING OF A MARVELOUS JOURNEY.
"Dick! Dick! Wake up, I want to tell you something." Marjorie stood
outside the boy's bedroom door, and called in as loud a whisper as she
dared, fearing lest she should awaken the rest of the household. There
was a scuffle and a patter of bare feet inside, and Dick appeared at the
door rubbing his eyes, evidently only half awake.
"What's up?" he demanded.
"Hush! don't make a noise. There's such a funny sound down-stairs--I
believe it's burglars. Listen!"
"Pooh! this time in the morning. What nonsense."
"Well it's been going on for ever so long, anyhow, and hark, there's
something keeps banging about like anything in the breakfast-room."
Dick ran to the top of the stairs and listened. Sure enough, there was a
most mysterious noise going on below,--a dull banging at regular
intervals, and a curious lapping sound, as though there was water in the
lower part of the house.
"Let's go and see what's up!" said Dick promptly.
"Me too," said a shrill treble voice, and a little curly-headed
apparition came running out of the bedroom, flourishing a wooden spade.
"No! you cut along into bed again, Fidge," cried Dick.
"Want to go and see the bur-ge-lers!" declared Fidge, pushing past them,
and racing down the stairs.
"Come back, you scamp," cried Dick, running after him; but with a saucy
and defiant laugh Fidge sped down to the first landing.
"Ooh!" he cried, looking over the banisters, "It's all drownded; look,
Dick! quick!"
Dick and Marjorie hurried down and leaned over the banisters too.
"Hullo! what a lark!" exclaimed Dick. "There's been a high tide, and the
house is flooded. Come on, this is ripping!" and the boy dashed
down-stairs, followed by the others.
The breakfast-room door stood open, and, wading ankle deep in water, the
children soon reached it. An extraordinary sight met their eyes.
The French windows were open, and the curtains were blowing about in the
breeze, while the sea had risen so high that the white-capped waves were
flowing quite into the room, in which the utmost confusion prevailed.
Chairs and various light articles were strewn about in all directions,
and the table, by some mysterious process, had been turned completely
over, and was floating about with its legs sticking up in the air. It
was evidently the noise which that had made, dashing against the door,
which had awakened Marjorie.
[Illustration: "The waves were flowing into the room."]
The children stood silently regarding it for a moment, and then Fidge,
with a delighted exclamation cried, "I want a ride in the boat," and
began to scramble into the overturned table.
"Oh! yes, jolly!" cried Dick, following his example; and in a moment all
three children were comfortably ensconced in the novel craft.
Dick found a stick floating about, which he used as a punting pole, and
soon had the table through the window and out into the garden.
"I'll be captain," he cried, "and you and Fidge shall be passengers,
Sis." The drawer of the table turned upside down made a capital upper
deck, and Marjorie settled herself very comfortably upon it, after Dick
had rigged up what he was pleased to call an awning with a little
table-cloth, and a piece of string which he had in the pocket of his
pyjamas.
Fidge, however, had no idea of remaining inactive, and insisted upon
taking a part in the management of the craft, and so Dick made him the
"Bosun," and set him to work rowing with his little wooden spade.
Out in the garden the water became deeper, and Captain Dick's pole would
not reach the bottom; still, owing to some mysterious influence, their
curious boat drifted merrily on, and the children did not puzzle
themselves in the least as to the cause of their progress. It was quite
enough for them to notice how strange and unnatural the gardens and all
the familiar surroundings appeared in their present inundated state. The
rosebushes and hedges looked so funny, growing out of the water, and
there were such a lot of curious things floating about--a hen-coop, a
wash-tub, and an old hamper had hurried past; and their boat had drifted
as far as the gate leading out into the roadway, when Marjorie jumped up
and pointed excitedly to something floating rapidly towards them.
"Look! Dick, look! there's an old turkey on a chair coming along."
As the object drew nearer, however, they could see that it was not a
turkey, or, indeed, any bird with which they were familiar, but a most
curious-looking creature. It had an oddly-shaped beak, webbed feet, and
a funny great tuft of feathers for a tail.
"Why, the thing has gloves on!" cried Captain Dick.
"And a blue bow around its neck," chimed in Fidge, his eyes dancing with
excitement.
"Ship ahoy!" shouted the bird, as it came close up to the table.
"Good gracious! Why it can talk," said Marjorie.
"Talk! Of course I can," answered the bird. "Why not, pray?"
"Well, birds don't generally talk, except parrots," added Marjorie, as
an afterthought.
"Parrots!" exclaimed the bird, stamping furiously on the seat of the
chair; "I hate 'em--nasty, showy, pretentious, ill-bred creatures;
regular shrieking hypocrites, that's what I call 'em."
"What sort of a bird are you, then?" asked Dick.
"I'm a Dodo," said the creature, with a consequential air.
"Oh! then you are extinct," said Dick. "I read it in a natural history
book."
"Yes, I am," admitted the Dodo. "It's lovely being extinct," he added,
complacently. "Have you ever tried it?"
"Good gracious, no," cried Dick.
"What does it mean, Dick, dear?" whispered Marjorie, who didn't like to
appear ignorant.
"Gone out, I think," explained Dick. "Anyhow, they say a volcano is
extinct when it has gone out."
"Yes, that's quite right," explained the Dodo, with a wink. "Haven't you
ever heard the vulgar expression, 'Does your mother know you're out?'
Well, where I come from, we just say, 'Is your maternal relative aware
of your extinction?' instead. It's the same thing, you know, and sounds
ever so much better. Then, again, it's most convenient, if any one calls
whom you don't wish to see, just to tell the servants to say that you
are extinct, and there is an end of the matter. But I mustn't stop all
day, I must be off to sea."
"Are you going to sea on that chair?" cried Marjorie.
"Well, it's as good as a table anyhow, as far as I can see," laughed the
Dodo. "Yes, I've an appointment with an Ichthyosaurus at the Equator at
noon, so I must be off. Good-by. Oh! while I think of it, though, if
you _do_ come across him, you might give him my love, and tell him that
I'm extinct, will you please? Ha--ha--he will be amused!"
"Who do you mean?" called out Dick, as the Dodo floated away on his
chair.
"The little Panjandrum," was the reply; "you are pretty sure to meet him
sooner or later."
"Oh, we're going to see the Pan--jan--de--lum," announced Fidge,
capering about in glee. "Hooray!"
In the meantime the table had drifted on till the house was quite out of
sight, and had reached the base of the cliffs, where the smugglers' cave
was. The children had been there ever so many times before, and knew of
a little gap in the rocks where, if only their boat would drift near
enough, they could land, and clamber up to the roadway again. The boat,
however, passed the gap, and drifted straight underneath the cave, from
whence came a confused babel of sounds.
The children looked up, and a moment afterwards a crowd of the funniest
little people imaginable came to the edge and peered over.
"What rum little beggars!" cried Dick. "Just look at their eyes!"
"I do believe they are Brownies, or else Gnomes!" declared Marjorie, who
had read a great many fairy stories.
"Nonsense!" said Dick, with a superior air; "there are no such things
now-a-days."
[Illustration: "A rope ladder was let down."]
"Who says so?" shrieked the little people from the cave. "Come up here,
and we'll soon show you."
"Oh, yes, do!" cried Marjorie, clapping her hands; "I should love to see
them."
"I don't see how we are going to get up there," said Dick, dubiously;
"we haven't got a ladder."
"We have one," shouted the little people. "Shall we let it down?"
"Oh, yes, please," clamored Marjorie, and immediately afterwards a rope
ladder was let down, and one or two of the little men hung over the
ledge to steady it.
"Come along," cried Marjorie, leading the way, while Fidge followed
next, repeating over and over, with a delighted chuckle, "We
are going to see the Pan--jan--de--lum! We are going to see the
Pan--jan--de--lum!"