Baby Jane's Mission

by Reginald Parnell

  CHAPTER X

  THE FINISH

  In the warmth of the sun upon the mountain side anger and fearevaporated, and the morning breeze blew away all memory of that horridnight.

  Every one's spirits rose sky-high. 'Come along!' cried Baby Jane.'Breakfast.' And the Queen, her court, and the army took hands andskipped to a dancing tune all the way down the mountain. The veryprisoners under escort, even the crossest camel--though they tried tolook proud and cold--could not resist a little sulky hop between eachstep; and the damaged Lion, riding pick-a-back on the Bear, joggledgaily up and down till he nearly upset his steed.

  Upon the velvety slope of the foot-hills that ran out into the flatwhite desert the breathless multitude all sat down to breakfast. Ofcourse, the Black Mountain beasts had to pretend they did not likevegetarian fare; but, for all that, they gobbled in a way that shockedthe well-brought-up pupils of Baby Jane, especially the Rabbit--in fact,that creature kept up a continual flow of shrill reproof--'Smallmouthfuls!' 'Shut your mouth!'--and rapped all the knuckles he couldreach with a long stick when they were stretched rudely for food, untilBaby Jane boxed his ears and told him to mind his own business.

  When they had all finished and were brushing the crumbs from their laps,Baby Jane thought it a good time to speak seriously to them.

  'I _am_ so glad you're all good now,' she said. 'Do you know, even whenI was quite little I always thought some of you _looked_ so nice andthoughtful in your cages; and as you don't know how to _pretend_, ofcourse you must _really_ be nice if you could only be understood andtaught better.

  'But I really never thought that all you great wild animals would listento a little girl; and yet, after all, it has come true! Oh, there _is_something in the world besides fighting and crying. Poor dears, youshall know it now. I and my old friends the Lion and the others knowsuch a lot of fun, and we will teach it to you.

  'And if any of you _aren't_ good,' she couldn't help adding to herself,'we'll teach you something nasty,' for she did not sincerely like thelook of the rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses. 'Come along,' she criedaloud, forgetting her suspicions. 'Now let us have a dance.'

  And with that she and her friends, who were bursting with pride at theidea of helping to teach, came skipping down the slope, and beganarranging the beasts for a sort of country dance.

  'Choose your partners,' cried Baby Jane, 'and don't be shy!'

  Of course her little voice was never heard by the more distantcreatures; her messages were passed from mouth to mouth, and it was oddto hear a gruff buffalo roaring in the distance--

  'Choose your partners, and don't be shy!'

  At first no one would venture, and it was the Rabbit who gave them alead. He walked up to the tallest lady giraffe he could find, he did,crooked his arm to lead her out, and--

  'May I have the pleasure?' said he, as bold as brass.

  But right away up there she did not hear him, so, growing impatient, hegrasped her leg, and up he went hand over hand. Then he proceeded up herneck, and when, after five minutes' climbing, his face was level withhers, he squeaked at the top of his voice--

  'May--I--have--the--pleasure?']

  'May--I--have--the--pleasure?'

  The giraffe started violently.

  'Oh, my gracious!' she said. 'I thought it was a beetle running up me!'

  And then, unluckily, the Rabbit's whiskers tickled her nose, and shesneezed him twenty yards away on to the ground.

  'That's the worst of these tall girls,' said he. 'They make a man feelso small.' And he picked himself up and went and danced with a merrylittle marmoset.

  The Bear danced with a pleasant but homely zebra, and Mary with anostrich, with whom she flirted scandalously. Sammy said he was not adancing man, and, quietly departing, he loaded his barrow with oranges;and later on, sad to relate, drove a roaring trade among the poor heatedbeasts, taking all their little valuables in exchange for his goods. Hewas not selfish, simply a born man of business. However, you can imaginehe took marvellous good care not to come near Baby Jane.

  When the last nervous gnu had led out his bashful bustard the dancebegan. Whichever way Baby Jane turned she looked down long lines ofswaying dancers with light feet leaping all in time--it made her headswim with excitement; and the tune of the whistling rabbits came liltingand trilling across the plain, and filled her heart with glee.

  She had been only watching the fun to keep her poor bandaged Lioncompany, but her feet were twitching to be off. She glanced at him, andfound that he was glancing at her.

  'Come along!' said he suddenly; and the next instant they were dancingas if for dear life. And, strange to say, though the Lion's bandagesall slipped off, his bones remained quite straight. So wonderful wasthe air of this land and so splendid his constitution that they hadmended themselves already!

  The puffing of that crowd when it at last came to a stop sounded like astationful of shunting engines. They were all very hot, and also verythirsty.

  'Let's race for the river,' cried Baby Jane.

  Then the Lion tossed her on to his back, and half of the others havinggot on the other half's backs--sometimes two beasts each tried to get onto the other's back at the same time--the whole army started off at atearing gallop.

  Miss Crocodile led for a short distance, for she was wonderfully quickon her legs, and had rather meanly refused to carry any one. After awhile, inch by inch, the Lion, who was the fastest creature on thatdesert, overhauled and passed her.

  'Anyhow, I've beaten that Rabbit!' she screamed. 'He thinks he's aregular race-horse.'

  'And so he is,' said that creature, jumping off her own tail, where heand Patsey had been riding unnoticed. 'Why, just look at this!'

  And with that, being fresh as paint, he sailed away from her, and lefther gasping all the rude things she could think of after him.

  She tripped on to her chin.]

  Of course the Lion and Baby Jane came in first, but the Rabbit andPatsey were second. Mary Carmichael would have been third, but shetripped on to her chin and grazed it badly, and was passed by a littleblack panther riding a gnu.

  When they had all refreshed themselves, in high delight with thepleasure Baby Jane had given them, they swarmed round the foot of ahillock, where she stood beneath a palm that hung its boughs like acanopy over her, looking up at her and waiting for more fun.

  Suddenly the Lion came out of the crowd, and, followed by the otherfriends, rushed half-way up the slope towards her; then, turning to thegreat multitude, he swung aloft a cocoa-nut goblet and roared in a voicethat echoed among the mountains--

  'A health to her Majesty!'

  Surely never before had human child seen the sight that followed! Tenthousand wild animals--fifty 'Zoos' let loose--crowding nearly to thehorizon, flung up their paws and roared her name with one tremendousvoice.

  * * * * *

  It was ever so: at the moment of triumph comes the fall, and the royalQueen becomes the no-account nursery child.

  Before the last echo of that great shout had died away among the distantcliffs an agitated animal came pushing through the crowd with thetidings that a fat man was coming along from the eastward. With oneaccord the whole company ran out to have a look at him.

  There he was--a stout, stately man, pacing soberly over the desert; andat the sight of him Baby Jane cried in a tone of bitter annoyance--

  'Why, it's Markham!'

  'Why, it's Markham!']

  Then, after standing for a moment with face bowed down, trying torestrain her tears, she rushed behind the Lion and the Bear, and,crouching between them, burst into loud and decidedly unqueenlikeweeping.

  'Why do they send for me?' she sobbed, 'just when everything has comeright, and I am having such fun and have grown so fond of my beasts?'

  Her two big friends were much disturbed by her grief. 'Oh, don't cry,please, don't cry,' they said, and tried to dry her eyes with a cornerof her own frock. 'We aren't very hungry, but, if you like, we wil
l tryand manage him.'

  In the meanwhile Mr. Markham, the butler (for such he was), was equallyupset.

  'Mercy on us!' he said, 'what mischief will that child come into next?There she is, now, just going to be eaten up by roaring lions, as sureas I'm alive!'

  But he did not seem sure of being alive very long, for he found himselfin a square--or as near it as could be got by one naturally formed in acircle--and prepared for his last dinner party.

  After a little while, seeing that the terrible beasts did not seemimmediately inclined to dine on him, and that Miss Jane was actuallyhiding among them, his natural self-possession returned to him.

  'Miss Jane! Miss Jane!' he called, speaking slowly and with dignity,'your mamma wishes you to come home at once. She is very vexed with youbeing out so long--and without your hat, too! And I don't think shewould at all like your playing with strange animals.'

  'Who's a strange animal?' cried Mary Carmichael sharply.

  'Oh, no offence, no offence,' said the butler, making a stiff littlebow, 'but my instructions is that the young lady is to come home atonce. Your mamma says,' he went on slowly, addressing Baby Jane, 'thatshe has allowed you to spend your holidays where you please, but youshould have been home when lessons began again. They are looking for youeverywhere. Peter has gone to Peru, and Miss McColl is in the WesternHebrides. But I said to Mrs. Cook, "When young ladies who is as fond oflions and bears as our Miss Jane goes travelling, those who aren't quitedevoid of intellect will know where to find them. Miss Jane is inAfrica."'

  'I suppose I must go,' said Baby Jane, with dismal little sniffs forcommas. 'Oh, my dear beasts, what lovely times I have had with you! Iwill come back; oh yes, I will come back, or you shall come to me, andwe will all live together in a cottage in the country and have greattimes and astonish all the neighbours. Oh, send me a message by theSwallows--I know they come over the sea from here--if ever you want mebadly.'

  She patted Miss Crocodile, and kissed the Piccaninny once on hisforehead; then she put her arms round the neck of the Lion, and of theBear, and the Rabbit and Patsey, and kissed them twenty times, and thenwalked unsteadily away towards Mr. Markham.

  He in the meanwhile had been in close conference with Sammy, Mary, andEdouardo, who had all applied for situations in Baby Jane's household,and he had promised to recommend them--Sammy and Edouardo to help thegardener, and Mary as a 'stylish horse to draw a victoria'--as shedescribed herself.

  Then, with Baby Jane and Sammy in the barrow, and Markham riding Mary,the little party wended its way back towards the tame ordinary world.

  When Baby Jane last saw her well-beloved beasts they were standing upona knoll like a row of black statues against the setting sun.

  'Be very good. I'll come back soon!' she cried. And they answered likean echo--

  'Come back soon!'

  * * * * *

  Now, you may wonder that Baby Jane's mother should allow so young aperson to spend her holidays where and how she chose, but you will agreewith me that if all parents were as liberal-minded there would be manyexciting adventures to relate. For instance, if you were given thisliberty, what would you do?

  FOOTNOTES:

  [1] The fruit of the _Palma muffinifera_.

  * * * * *

  Transcriber's note:

  Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).

  Inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been retained from the original.

  Punctuation has been corrected without note.

  Obvious typographical errors have been corrected as follows: Page 101: "or" changed to "of"