The City Curious Part 18

[Ill.u.s.tration: AN EXTREMELY CURIOUS FISH]

"I am certain of it," replied Smaly imperturbably, leaning over the edge of the cauldron towards the Chief Contractor, whereupon the Stork gently pushed him back again.

The Chief Contractor was in a great state of consternation and stood gazing from one to the other of the important officials of the Wig Republic as though for a.s.sistance, while even the crowd began uneasily to feel the effect of his dismay.

Suddenly the Chief Contractor noticed that the eye slung round the neck of the Crow was winking at him to approach. He accordingly went towards the Mother of the Crow, who spoke into his ear.

Beneath his mask the Chief Contractor's mouth began to smile. Quickly putting on the mask of "Good-Humour," he announced:

"A band of our Rats will each morning copiously water our fleet, for, believe me, no fleet is quite complete without water."

Here the Crow took two steps towards the Chief Contractor, and putting on his ebony spectacles, whispered a few words to him. The Chief Contractor thereupon added in a loud voice:

"They will not use the water of Soy."

Suddenly he perceived it was necessary to change the mask of "Good-Humour" for that of "Anger," for several audacious Wigs were busy writing their names upon the hulls of the white ships; but he had no time to give vent to his just indignation, for upon all sides the well-known cry arose:

"The prison is coming, the prison is coming."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "A BAND OF OUR RATS WILL EACH MORNING COPIOUSLY WATER OUR FLEET"]

There was no doubt about it; the Prisoner must have heard the enthusiastic shouts of the crowd, and in his mad rage was now bearing down upon the fleet. Some of the bravest Wigs managed to save a few ships, many more were weeping; but the largest number did not wait to see what was happening, but took to their heels.

Soon Smaly and Redy were almost alone in their cauldron. The forest of sugar-canes was arriving, preceded by the little army of Rats with watering-cans.

When the Prisoner was near enough to hear them, Smaly and Redy cried out:

[Ill.u.s.tration: WIGS WERE BUSY WRITING THEIR NAMES]

"Djorak, Djorak, stop a minute."

When he heard real voices, human voices, Djorak paused. His rage fell from him like a cloak.

"Djorak, Djorak."

"Who calls my name?" asked the Prisoner in a husky voice, a voice which had not been used for many years.

"It's Smaly and Redy who call you. We want to help you," added Redy.

When he heard a woman's voice Djorak's thoughts flew to the three daughters he had lost, and his madness fell away from him. He drew nearer to the two little people by breaking the sugar-canes in front of him. They could now see him, and he could see them. The Rats lay down to rest, so no new sugar-canes sprang up to bar the way.

"Will you save me?" demanded Djorak.

"It will be the first thing we shall think of when we are allowed out of this cauldron."

"Cauldron?" repeated the Prisoner. "Cauldron? And when will you be allowed out of it?"

"When the sun goes down," cried Redy; "and we will give you back your daughters."

In his profound joy Djorak all but lost consciousness.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A RED FLAG]

"But while we're waiting," remarked Smaly, "tell us how came it about that you were put in this prison."

But Redy interrupted to say, "First let's agree on a place where we can all meet, and what sign we shall tell it by."

So they arranged that the Prisoner should turn his prison in the direction of a red flag, which Smaly would tie to a tree near the frontier.

THE PRISONER'S STORY

"I was hurled into this country," said the Prisoner, "by the powerful breath of a Black Toad. At first I was not at all badly received. I was able to render several services to the Wigs, and was especially useful to them in building their walls of gingerbread.

"Unfortunately, however, the Chief Contractor is a fool. Without his idiotic conceit this country would be happy and prosperous, but you have undoubtedly seen for yourself what a ridiculous creature he is. Only to give you one instance, I will tell you what happened that made him put me in this prison of sugar-canes.

"One day some feather-headed person or other began describing a bridge to him. The Chief Contractor insisted on having the nature of a bridge fully explained to him, and next day he caused a ca.n.a.l to be dug right across the middle of the country; but all the water that they poured into it disappeared at once, for it soaked away through the soil of sugar and flour.

"However, in spite of the fact that there was no water in the ca.n.a.l, he caused the bridge of nougat to be built across it; the bridge which I have destroyed a hundred times pa.s.sing over it in my prison.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "I HAVE DESTROYED A HUNDRED TIMES Pa.s.sING OVER IT IN MY PRISON"]

"It was forbidden under the most heavy penalties to cross the ca.n.a.l, although it was dry, by any other means than by way of the bridge. I had to conform to this stupid law, in spite of the fact that the nougat cracked beneath my feet each time I crossed the bridge.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "I WAS CAUGHT STEPPING RIGHT OVER THEIR SILLY OLD DRY Ca.n.a.l WITH ONE STRIDE"]

"However, one evening I was caught stepping right over their silly old dry ca.n.a.l with one stride.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE MANUFACTURER OF CARDBOARD BOXES]

"The Despoiler's rage, although he hid it from me, was deep and terrible. Doubtless that very evening my doom was agreed upon, for the next morning when I awoke I was surrounded by this barrier of sugar-canes," and the Prisoner wrung his hands and seemed in an impotent rage. He went on jumping up and down, and gesticulating, for his madness had caught him again.

Once more he began to break the sugar-canes in his frenzy.

At that moment Smaly and Redy saw the Despoiler pa.s.s by, followed by the Young Stork, carrying a pair of nippers.

They were on their way to a secret meeting with the Manufacturer of Cardboard Boxes.

The Despoiler seemed to be literally shaking with anger. The Young Stork had been forced to tell him that he stood in urgent need of certain repairs to his back, and the Despoiler, therefore, found himself in the humiliating situation of having to make a purchase from the Manufacturer of Cardboard Boxes.

It added to the Despoiler's vexation to have been seen by the two little humans. He stopped and looked at the sun, of which only a small piece of the rim was visible.

The Despoiler turned towards the Rats and, pointing to the cauldron, called out angrily:

"Take that and run with it to the frontier and empty it out there."

And thus it was done.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE PICNIC WHICH FOLLOWED WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE REPAST