Captain Jim Part 42

"Meat ones?" asked his sister hopefully.

"Yes. And all the other nanimals."

"Who drived 'em in?"

"Ole Noah and Mrs. Noah. Mustn't they have had a time! If you tried to drive in our turkeys an sheep and cows together there'd be awful trouble--and Noah had lions and tigers and snakes too."

"Perhaps he had good sheep-dogs," Norah suggested. She was sewing with Mrs. Hunt under a tree on the lawn, while the children played with a Noah's Ark on a short-legged table near them.

"He'd need them," Geoffrey said. "But would sheep-dogs be any good at driving snakes and porklepines, Norah?"

"Noah's might have been," Norah answered prudently. "They must have been used to it, you see. And I believe a good sheep-dog would get used to anything."

"Funny things ole Noah and his fam'ly wore," said Geoffrey, looking at j.a.phet with disfavour. "Like dressing-gowns, only worse. Wouldn't have been much good for looking after nanimals in. Why, even the Land Army girls wear trousers now!"

"Well, fas.h.i.+ons were different then," said Mrs. Hunt. "Perhaps, too, they took off the dressing-gowns when they got inside the Ark, and had trousers underneath."

"Where'd they keep all the food for the nanimals, anyhow?" Geoffrey demanded. "They'd want such a lot, and it would have to be all different sorts of food. Tigers wouldn't eat vegi-tubbles, like rabbits."

"And efalunts would eat buns," said Alison anxiously. "Did Mrs. Noah make vem buns?"

"She couldn't, silly, unless she had a gas-stove," said Geoffrey.

"They couldn't carry firewood as well. I say, Mother, don't you think the Ark must have had a supply-s.h.i.+p following round, like the Navy has?"

"It isn't mentioned," said Mrs. Hunt.

"I say!" said Geoffrey, struck by a new idea that put aside the question of supply. "Just fancy if a submarine had torpedoed the Ark!

Wouldn't it have been exciting!"

"Let's do it in the bath," said Alison, delightedly.

"All right," Geoffrey said. "May we, Mother?"

"Oh, yes, if you don't get too wet," his mother said resignedly.

"They can all swim, that's a comfort.

"We'll muster them," said Geoffrey, bundling the animals into a heap.

"Hand over that bird, Alison. I say, Mother, which came first, a fowl or an egg?"

Mrs. Hunt sighed.

"It isn't mentioned," she said. "Which do you think?"

"Fowl, I 'specs," answered her son.

"_I_ fink it was ve egg," said Alison.

"How would it be hatched if it was, silly?" demanded her brother.

"They didn't have ink-ink-inklebaters then."

Alison puckered her brows, and remained undefeated.

"P'raps Adam sat on it," she suggested.

"I cannot imagine Adam being broody," said Mrs. Hunt.

"Well, anyhow, he hatched out Eve!" said Geoffrey. No one ventured to combat this statement, and the children formed themselves into a stretcher party, bearing the Ark and its contents upon a tray in the direction of the bathroom.

"Aren't they darlings?" Norah said, laughing. "Look at that Michael!"

Michael was toddling behind the stretcher-party as fast as his fat legs would permit, uttering short and sharp shrieks of anguish lest he should be forgotten. Geoffrey gave the order, "Halt!" and the Ark and its bearers came to a standstill.

"Come along, kid," said the commanding officer. "You can be the band." The procession was re-formed with Michael in the lead, tooting proudly on an imaginary bugle. They disappeared within the house.

"They are growing so big and strong," said Mrs. Hunt thankfully.

"Michael can't wear any of the things that fitted Geoff at his age; as for Alison, nothing seems to fit her for more than a month or two; then she gracefully bursts out of her garments! As for Geoff----!

But he is getting really too independent: he went off by himself to the village yesterday, and I found him playing football behind one of the cottages with a lot of small boys."

"Oh--did you?" Norah said, looking a little worried. "We heard just before I came over this morning that there is a case of fever in the village--some travelling tinker-people seem to have brought it. Dad said I must tell you we had better not let the children go down there for the present."

"There were some gipsy-looking boys among the crowd that Geoff was playing with," Mrs. Hunt said anxiously. "I do hope he hasn't run any risk. He is wearing the same clothes, too--I'll take them off him, and have them washed." She gathered up her sewing hurriedly. "But I think Geoff is strong enough now to resist any germ."

"Oh, of course he is," Norah answered. "Still, it doesn't do any harm to take precautions. I'll come and help you, Mrs. Hunt."

Geoffrey, congenially employed as a submarine commander about to torpedo the Ark, was distinctly annoyed at being reduced to a mere small boy, and an unclad one at that.

"I don't see why you want to undress me in the middle of the morning,"

he said, wriggling out of his blue jersey. "And it isn't was.h.i.+ng-day, either, and Alison and Michael'll go and sink the Ark without me if you don't hurry."

"I won't let them, Geoff," Norah rea.s.sured him. "I'm an airs.h.i.+p commander cruising round over the submarine, and she doesn't dare to show so much as the tip of her periscope. Of course, when her captain comes back, he'll know what to do!"

"Rather!" said the Captain, wriggling this time in ecstasy. "I'll just put up my anti-aircraft gun and blow the old airs.h.i.+p to smithereens."

Alison uttered a howl.

"_Won't_ have Norah made into smivvereens!"

"Don't you worry darling, I'll dodge," said Norah.

"Michael, what are you doing with Mrs. Noah?"

"Not want my dear 'ickle Mrs. Noah dwowned," said Michael, concealing the lady yet more securely in his tiny pocket. "She good. Michael _loves_ her."

"Oh, rubbish, Michael! put her back in the Ark," said Geoffrey wrathfully. "However can we have a proper submarining if you go and collar half the things?"

"Never collared nuffig," said Michael, unmoved. "Only tooked my dear 'ickle Mrs. Noah."

"Never mind Geoff--he's only a small boy," Mrs. Hunt said.