THE DODO AT LAST.
"I really believe it is the Dodo," said Dick. "Only I'm not quite sure
if his feet _were_ webbed."
"Oh, I don't think they were," declared Marjorie. "Now don't you think,"
she continued, excitedly, "that it would be best for us just to swim
quietly up to him, and catch hold of his legs; you see, he couldn't
possibly get away then, and----"
"All right," interrupted Dick. "Come on--steady now, so as not to alarm
him."
The feet above them were paddling leisurely along, and the children had
no difficulty in quickly catching up to the bird, and, with a triumphant
shout, Dick clutched hold of one leg, while Marjorie and Fidge hung on
to the other.
There was immediately a great outcry from above the water.
"Help! Help! Fire! Police! Thieves!" cried a voice, and the feet began
to kick so violently that the children had quite a difficulty to keep
their hold.
[Illustration: "The Dodo tried to follow their example."]
In response to the cries a number of other birds came flying to the
rescue, and "splush," "splash," sounded on all sides as they settled
down on the water.
"What is the matter?" cried several voices at once.
"Oh!" cried the bird which the children had captured, beating his wings
about violently, and creating a terrible confusion, "a crab or something
has caught hold of my legs, and I am being killed--help!--save me!--save
me!"
A confused sound of voices followed, and presently one or two heads
appeared below the water; they were hastily withdrawn, however, and with
an alarmed cry of "Sharks!" the other birds all flew away, leaving their
luckless companion to his fate.
The bird, when he found himself deserted by his friends, made more
frantic efforts than ever to escape; and the beating of his wings upon
the water caused the whole party to move slowly along.
"What are we to do now?" whispered Marjorie; "we can't drag him
underneath, or he'd be drowned, you know."
"Oh, let's hang on," cried Dick, "perhaps he will drag us along till we
come to land somewhere. I say," he shouted, "are you the Dodo, or not?"
His voice could evidently not be heard above the water, for there was no
reply from the bird, which continued making a terrific outcry, using
every effort to get away from them.
Presently, just as Dick had suggested, some rocks came in sight, and the
children could see that they were being gradually dragged tards the
shore.
In a few minutes they had the satisfaction of being able to scramble out
of the water, when they discovered, to their great dismay, that their
captive was not the Dodo at all, but a great wild goose, who, when they
hurriedly released his legs waddled awkwardly ashore, and gazed at them
with reproachful eyes.
A little way inland the Dodo himself could be seen standing, surrounded
by an excited group of birds, who, when they caught sight of the
children emerging from the water, immediately took to flight, screaming
in horrified tones--
"The Sharks! The Sharks! Here come the Sharks!"
The Dodo tried to follow their example, and for a moment it looked as
though the children would lose him after all; but it soon became evident
that the creature could not fly, for after wildly beating the air for
awhile, with his little apologies for wings, the miserable bird fell
squalling into the water, while his companions disappeared in the
distance.
"Help! Help!" he screamed, as he struggled with the waves. "Don't you
see that I'm drowning? Oh! Oh! Help! Help!"
"Swim ashore," cried the children.
"I can't," was the reply, in a faint voice. "I can't swim. Oh!--oh!
there go my poor, dear gloves." This last as his wings, which he had
been holding up out of the water, sank exhausted to his side.
Dick plunged in, and soon brought the bird to shore, where he stood for
a moment or two, ruefully regarding his white kid gloves, which the salt
water had completely ruined, while the bow of his necktie had slipped
around to the back of his neck.
"A pretty figure I shall cut now at the Ichthyosaurus' At Home," he
grumbled. "It's all your fault, too," he declared, ungratefully
disregarding the fact that Dick had just rescued him from a watery
grave. "What do you want with me, anyhow?"
"Why, you see," hastily explained Dick, "the Ambassador to the Little
Panjandrum sent us in search of you, and if we don't take you back in
less than a week we're to be--er--er--something with an awfully long
name----"
"I know--Subtransexdistricated, that's it, isn't it?" said the Dodo.
"They always threaten to do that to people. Ough! its perfectly
horrible" he cried, shuddering.
"What's it like?" asked the children, in an awe-stricken whisper.
"Why," explained the Dodo, "you are mygrylaled in pslmsms till you
saukle, and then you are taken out and gopheled on both sides for a
fortnight. Ough! it's dreadful to think about, and I wouldn't dream of
putting you to the risk of having it done to you. So I suppose I shall
have to go back," he added, with a sigh. "It's jolly awkward, though!
Oh, I _hate_ him!" he said, stamping his claw violently.
"Who?" inquired the children.
"The Little Panjandrum," was the reply. "Nasty, consequential little
prig! And who is he, I should like to know? Panjandrums are not to be
mentioned in the same breath as Dodos--we are a much more ancient family
than they are, and, besides, _we_ are extinct," he said, proudly.
"Oh, yes, of course," agreed Dick, who did not care to go into the Dodo
private grievances, and who certainly did not care to run the risk of
being "gopheled on both sides," whatever that might mean; "but don't you
think we had better be going now?"
"How are we going to get back?" demanded the Dodo, abruptly. "I can't
swim and I can't fly. You'll have to carry me."
"Good gracious!" exclaimed Marjorie, in dismay. "I'm sure we can't do
that! Why, you are as big as we are!"
"Well, I'm sure I don't know what is to be done," said the Dodo. "I
won't get into the water again for _any one_, so there."
Just then, Fidge, who had been playing on the shore, ran back with the
news that the little thin fish wanted to speak to them.
"Oh! Sorry to trouble you," he began, popping his head out of the water
and raising his hat politely; "but His Majesty sent me to inquire how
you were getting on. I see you have found him," he added, pointing to
the Dodo.
"Yes; but now we are in another fix," cried the children; "we don't know
how to get the creature home."
[Illustration: "The Dodo cut a strange figure."]
"Who are you calling a creature?" said the Dodo, sulkily.
"Well, what else are you?" demanded Dick. "You're an awful nuisance,
anyhow, and _I_ don't know how we are going to get you away from this
place, I'm sure."
"There are the Dolphins," suggested the little fish.
"Why, yes, of course," cried Dick. "I had forgotten them. I suppose you
can ride a Dolphin, can't you?" he inquired of the Dodo.
"Don't know. Never tried. Daresay I could," answered the bird, sullenly.
The fish disappeared, and returned a few minutes later with the three
Dolphins in tow.
Fidge was more than delighted to see the "horses," as he called them,
again, and lost no time in getting astride of one; the others followed
more deliberately, Marjorie taking her seat beside Fidge on the same
fish.
The Dodo cut a strange figure, and looked very nervous at first, as he
clung to the slippery back of his strange steed.
He seemed to feel at ease after a time, however, and when the children
had bade their kind little friend, the thin fish, "Good-by," the party
started off at a fine pace.
"By the bye, have you any idea where we are going to?" remarked the
Dodo, after they had been rushing along for some time.
"Good gracious, no!" exclaimed Dick. "I thought you were directing us."
"I haven't the remotest idea where we are," said the Dodo, coolly.
"Why, then, we're lost!" cried Marjorie, in dismay.
"Mother told me," said Fidge, solemnly, "that if I ever got lost, I was
to ask a policeman to take me home."
[Illustration: "At the entrance was a large walrus smoking."]
"Yes, but I'm afraid there are no policemen about here," laughed the
others.
"What we had better do," said Dick, "is to push on till we come to land
somewhere, or a ship, and inquire the way back."
This was thought to be the best plan to pursue, and the children hurried
along till Marjorie noticed that both the air and the water were growing
fresher every moment, and she was just beginning to wonder what they
were going to do if it grew much colder, when Dick cried out, in quite a
nautical style--
"Land on the larboard side!"
"Hooroy!" shouted the others, "now we shall find out where we are," and
they headed the Dolphins to where they could see a rough kind of
landing-stage.
The country looked very bleak and bare, but a little hut was visible a
short distance from the shore, and the children, having fastened up the
Dolphins to one of the wooden piles, assisted the Dodo to alight, and
made their way towards it.
At the entrance they saw a large Walrus with a pipe in his mouth, and on
the ground beside him an Esquimaux dog, also smoking.
Dick and the others hurried forward, and bowed politely.
"_Wie geths?_" said the Walrus, taking the pipe from his mouth, and
immediately putting it back again, while the little dog glanced at them
inquisitively out of the corners of his eyes.