"
"Couldn't sail six weeks without fouling a mountain-peak!" sneered Wren,
perceiving a chance to get even.
"The hole's there, just the same," said Charon. "Maybe she was a
centreboard, and that's where you kept the board."
"The hole is there because it was worn there by one of the elephants,"
retorted Noah. "You get a beast like the elephant shuffling one of his
fore-feet up and down, up and down, a plank for twenty-four hours a day
for forty days in one of your boats, and see where your boat would be."
"Thanks," said Charon, calmly. "But the elephants don't patronize my line.
All the elephants I've ever seen in Hades waded over, except Jumbo, and he
reached his trunk across, fastened on to a tree limb with it, and swung
himself over. However, the Ark isn't at all what you want, unless you are
going to man her with a lot of centaurs. If that's your intention, I'd
charter her; the accommodations are just the thing for a crew of that
kind."
"Well, what do you suggest?" asked Raleigh, somewhat impatiently. "You've
told us what we can't do. Now tell us what we can do."
"I'd stay right here," said Charon, "and let the ladies rescue themselves.
That's what I'd do. I've had the honor of bringing 'em over here, and I
think I know 'em pretty well. I've watched 'em close, and it's my private
opinion that before many days you'll see your club-house sailing back
here, with Queen Elizabeth at the hellum, and the other ladies on the
for'ard deck knittin' and crochetin', and tearin' each other to pieces in
a conversational way, as happy as if there never had been any Captain Kidd
and his pirate crew.
Pages:
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47