Baby Jane's Mission Part 7

'We must pack up our luggage and be off early,' said he. 'I have looked out, and there is nothing in sight, but there was the sound of hundreds of stealthy footfalls round the bush in the night.'

Then he waked the others, and they set to work to pack up their belongings--there were all the Bear's belongings, and, of course, their toys.

While they were having breakfast--it was lucky that everything grew ready cooked, so to speak, and even the bread-fruit grew ready toasted in this very hot country--they held a council of war.

'We must go far away from the Black Mountains until we have got together a big army of beasts with good natures. Then we will come back,' said Baby Jane, who was brave enough now that the sun was shining and no enemy in sight, 'and if the Black Mountain creatures won't be good, well, we shall have to make them.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: Whistling 'Lochaber No More.']

On they tramped, without speaking, all the morning, with their bundles on their heads, and the Light-Horse did not make matters more cheerful by whistling 'Lochaber No More,' breaking the sad tune now and then with a stifled sob.

It must be here remarked that this animal was now addressed as 'Mary Carmichael,' after the tragic part she had taken in the tableaux vivants, for to call such a dark and heavy-minded creature a 'Light'

horse was absurd.

Later in the morning they were suddenly startled by a strange apparition that came up over a hillock towards them. They all made a rampart of their bundles and prepared for the worst, but it was nothing more terrible than a small costermonger driving a donkey in a barrow, piled full of bits of glittering rock. The donkey kicked violently after every two or three steps, and at every kick the barrow-load of stones rattled fearfully, and the small coster brought down a flat piece of wood on the donkey's back, and abused it in the rudest way.

'What ho, there!' squeaked the driver on his approach after the manner of the olden times. 'Where's the tent for the circus?'

'We're not a circus,' said Baby Jane indignantly, 'and you are much more odd-looking than we. What are you doing here?'

'Well, you see,' said he, 'the geranium business at home is overcrowded, and so Edouardo and I--his name in full is Edouardo de Frisky, because of his voice; there is a singer named that or something like it--have come out here and gone into the gold-mine business. There's a little gold-mine in the cart now; we gave one-and-tenpence for it, and we are going to sell it--all except the good parts--for sixpence a piece. I tell you it is better even than the strawberry business, with eight strawberries on the top and all the rest leaves. And what game are you playing?'

Baby Jane said she was not playing any game, and rather shyly explained her mission, expecting the little coster to jeer; but, though he was only moderately honest and very ill-mannered, he was a good-hearted little fellow.

'Now that's a fine thing to do,' said he warmly, 'and I'm your man. I'll tip the rubbish out of my barrow and come along with you.'

Then he added confidentially, 'But we might turn them into a circus afterwards and make a lot of money.'

And so Sammy and Edouardo joined the family, and they journeyed on together.

At first the other creatures looked askance at Edouardo, but after a while they found he was an animal of great character, and made friends with him--all except Mary Carmichael, who chose to be jealous--but the Bear was his great chum.

Of course the barrow was a great delight to the party, but they were so eager to ride in it that they nearly broke it by all crowding in together. They took it in turns to put on the harness and pull, except the Rabbit, Patsey, and the Piccaninny, and they, not being able to take their turn in pulling, were not allowed to ride properly, but had to hang on at the back on the sly, until Miss Crocodile noticed them and cried 'Whip behind!'

The Lion was too much engaged with Edouardo to hear her, and so she had to slap them herself.

This seemed very unjust to the three, and Miss Crocodile's slaps hurt them still more, so they lagged some way behind and plotted together to be avenged on Miss Crocodile.

Of course, if Baby Jane had seen, she would have set things right, but she was walking on ahead with Sammy, discussing how they should collect an army, and planning new instruction for the creatures in the meantime.

They had got so far ahead as to be almost out of sight of the party in the barrow, who steered a very roundabout course, when they came upon a young but vicious-looking hippopotamus lying in wait behind a cactus bush--evidently a spy sent after them by the Black Mountain band. With its mouth wide open it made a rush at them, and Baby Jane in terror collapsed on the ground and covered her face. But the fierce brute had not considered that it had to reckon with an English boy, and with one who knew how to box.

[Ill.u.s.tration: She had to slap them herself.]

Standing before the little girl in a skilful att.i.tude of defence, as the hippopotamus came on, Sammy chucked it under the chin, as it were, with all the strength of his arm, and down it went with a dull b.u.mp that shook the ground, the most surprised hippopotamus you ever saw. No second blow was needed; the beast rolled itself on to its feet, and muttering dreadful threats--quite indistinctly, for it had bitten its tongue in a painful way--rushed away across the desert towards the Black Mountains.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Sammy chucked it under the chin, as it were.]

'You are a brave boy,' said Baby Jane softly, looking up at Sammy.

'Oh, it's nothing,' he said, but he turned very red with pride.

When the creatures came to hear of this deed they were all mad to learn how to box, so, at the halt for dinner, Sammy produced a set of boxing gloves and gave them lessons. After they were taught they practised among themselves. Then, as Baby Jane had feared, there was a squabble.

No gloves could temper the hardness of Mary Carmichael's hoofs, and when, with an irritating sadness of expression, she hit the lion in the eye, that creature could stand it no longer. So they had to be forbidden to use their skill except against an enemy. Of course they all longed to do so, but the Rabbit was very wrong to do as he did. It was the act of a bully.

Searching about among the sandhills, he came upon a little duck squatting beside a pool, and without any reason whatever, for the duck was perfectly inoffensive, he made the most insulting remark, and, when the duck mildly retorted, he set upon it and pummelled it cruelly.

Luckily Baby Jane caught him in the act, and, picking him up by the scruff of his neck, gave him such slaps that his fat little ribs sounded like a drum.

When she set him down he rushed in a bad, sulky mood to his friends.

Now for some time Miss Crocodile had been dozing beside the barrow, for her arms were too short to protect her long nose, so that boxing was an unpleasant amus.e.m.e.nt for her. This was the three conspirators'

opportunity.

A little later Baby Jane and the others, who were some little way off, were startled by the loud rattle of the approaching barrow and by wild, triumphant shrieks.

Then, with her eyes starting out of her head--even more than ever--Miss Crocodile, fully harnessed, went flying past, and behind, clinging together in the barrow, sat the three conspirators wild with excitement and delight.

They had slipped the shafts over her and harnessed her while she dozed. Then they perched in a row upon the seat, and when all was ready--one--two--three--and all together!--they brought a board down on the full length of her back with a clap like thunder.

Startled from her beauty-sleep, she sprang away like a hare, and scoured the plain in whirling circles.

Unluckily for the Rabbit and his friends, in one of these wild whirlings, the very pond beside which he had ill-used the duck suddenly appeared before them.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Three draggled little creatures crawled out.]

Crash! Splash! Miss Crocodile, now cooled and quieted, came out on the far side, drawing the overturned barrow behind her, and then three little round heads appeared in a row above the water, all driving for the sh.o.r.e, and a moment later three draggled little creatures crawled out amid the laughter of the others.

Baby Jane dried them for fear they should catch cold, but, except that she rubbed them till they squeaked, she forebore from adding to their punishment.

After that, they set the barrow straight and proceeded quietly, pausing every now and again for Sammy to explain a lecture on hop-scotch by examples. Baby Jane herself had never played the game, and thought it fun, for a change, to be a pupil. They soon grew so excited that they had to stop and play a little hop-scotch tournament.

Coolness is half the battle in games, and again Mary Carmichael proved her prowess, and was proclaimed champion hop-schotcher of the Southern Sahara. Perhaps Sammy himself could have won easily, but Baby Jane made him a little sign, and, like the young sportsman that he was, he did not spoil the game, but allowed himself to be beaten.

'But _you_ know I could have won, Miss?' he asked anxiously of Baby Jane when it was over.

'Of course I do,' said she; 'you were very unselfish'; which quite satisfied Sammy.

This caused a good deal of delay, and they made up for it by hurrying at a great rate afterwards. Nevertheless they contrived even then to amuse themselves as they went, for the ingenious Sammy had thought of leap-frog.

[Ill.u.s.tration: It was a picturesque sight.]

It was a picturesque sight. Like a river of living waves they flowed across the desert--occasionally a wave broke, but generally they pursued the even tenor of their way. Poor Baby Jane felt that it would be unladylike to play, so had to keep company with Edouardo, who had a mind above leap-frog, with the barrow.

'If only I had my gymnasium things with me!' she sighed.

By this time it was growing dusk, and they could not clearly see their way. It must have been partly for this reason, and partly because they were carried away by the excitement of the game, that--horrible to relate!--a gully suddenly yawned before them, and, before the leading leapers could give warning, the living river was changed into a living cascade, which poured over the brink and down with a rush and rattle to the bottom. Luckily, there was a thick bed of ferns and moss to receive them; but as it was, the lowest layer of creatures had all the breath b.u.mped out of them by the shower of heavy bodies that dropped plump upon them.

You may know how it rains cats and dogs, but you can hardly imagine it raining the whole 'Zoo.'