The Curious Lobster

by Richard W. Hatch

  Mr. Lobster, pleased and happy, was thinking things over, as he always did when something had happened. “I have learned something,” he said to himself, “from this experience. Very often when things go wrong we blame luck, and strangely enough we find out that the whole trouble was caused by something we did ourselves. I wonder if Mr. Bear realizes this, too.”

  But, being considerate, he said nothing to Mr. Bear.

  MR. LOBSTER WENT TO WORK WITH HIS BIG CLAWS AND SOON CUT THE ROPE.

  They had not been sailing very long before Mr. Badger began to chuckle to himself as he steered. Mr. Bear, who couldn’t think of anything to chuckle about, turned around in amazement.

  “Would you mind telling me what there is to laugh about?” he demanded rather unpleasantly.

  “A joke,” answered Mr. Badger. “Whenever things are not going just right I like to think of a joke, and I’ve just thought of a good one.”

  “Tell us,” begged Mr. Lobster.

  “It is this,” said Mr. Badger. “Three heroic explorers skimming over the sea in search of islands and just sailing round and round in circles for a half a day and not going anywhere at all. It’s one of the funniest things I ever heard of. What a joke on us!” And he laughed out loud.

  Mr. Lobster thought that, come to think of it, it was a joke.

  Mr. Bear snorted.

  “You didn’t think it was a joke when it happened,” he said severely.

  “That doesn’t matter,” said Mr. Badger happily. “Lots of things are unfortunate when they happen, but afterwards you can see something funny in them, too. It is a pity to remember just the unfortunate part, but it is a joy to remember the funny part. I’m always going to remember this morning as a joke.”

  “Will it be a joke if we don’t discover any islands?” asked Mr. Bear.

  “We shall see later,” answered Mr. Badger. “Anyway, not finding any islands is unpleasant to talk about. So I shan’t bother my head with it.”

  “Well, I am coming to believe there are no islands in this ocean,” said Mr. Bear. “And I have drunk almost all my water, and I am starving. I must be starving, because I haven’t eaten all day long.”

  “The turtle said there were islands,” put in Mr. Lobster, trying to cheer up Mr. Bear.

  “Maybe they are in another ocean.”

  “How can there be other oceans?” asked Mr. Badger. “Why, it is a wonder to me there is room enough for this one, it is so big. There just can’t be another, can there, Mr. Lobster?”

  “This is the only ocean I know,” replied Mr. Lobster, “but I am sure there are many things I do not know yet. There are so many wonders in the world I sometimes feel that I am only beginning to learn about them. Perhaps there are many oceans. I do know that the turtle lives in this ocean, though, because I met him here. So I am sure that the islands he discovers are here, too.”

  “There!” exclaimed Mr. Badger. “You really need not worry, Mr. Bear.”

  “I disagree with you,” said Mr. Bear firmly. “When there is no food in sight and no dry land anywhere to be seen, I have to worry. I have practically nothing else to do.”

  Mr. Lobster thought to himself: “How very true! If Mr. Bear were only busy he would not have time to worry. I think not being busy is sometimes the hardest thing of all.”

  Out loud he said: “Why don’t you take turns steering your boat, Mr. Bear? I am sure Mr. Badger will teach you.”

  At first Mr. Bear didn’t like the idea of having Mr. Badger teach him anything, because he was afraid Mr. Badger would be very superior about it. But Mr. Badger, like a good teacher, was so polite that he consented.

  The rest of the afternoon passed without trouble. Mr. Bear steered most of the time, which kept him too busy to growl or worry. He almost forgot that he was hungry.

  But one true fact remained that nothing could conceal or change. There were no islands anywhere in sight. And everyone was looking hard now. The water in Mr. Bear’s jug was gone. Soon Mr. Badger and Mr. Bear would be thirsty. And still there were no islands. Each one of the three friends was thinking one thought, but not one of them cared to mention it.

  Mr. Lobster said to himself: “There are some things too serious and important to be mentioned. They are the things one keeps in his own heart, and they may be great sorrows or great joys. Sometimes silence is a most excellent thing. I shall remain silent now.”

  When the darkness began to gather they were still silent. The breeze was strong, and the boat was sailing beautifully, sailing straight ahead toward the place where the dark sea and the darkening sky met. And that place came nearer and nearer.

  When all was completely dark, and the night was upon them, Mr. Badger took his turn at the helm.

  “I think we had better leave the sail up all night,” he said. “That is, if Mr. Lobster does not mind staying all night in the boat. In the morning perhaps we shall be there.”

  “I shall be glad to stay here,” said Mr. Lobster readily.

  So it was agreed to sail in the dark, and the little boat kept skimming along.

  There Is a Stealthy Rustle

  SO THEY sailed through the long dark night. The sound of the water rushing by and the feeling of the endless motion of the sea were different and strange when nothing could be seen. The sail was pale, like a place where the darkness had faded. And the boat made small sounds of creaking and moving, as if it were alive and could feel the great waters under it. These were the sounds no one noticed in the day time, for at night in boats and houses many little noises come out like mice, only to disappear when it is light again.

  The three friends all experienced the wonderful and strange sensation of moving through darkness with only the stars overhead, and the whole world lost and invisible, so that they all felt like wanderers. And, because at night the feeling of adventure is strongest, they all felt like adventurers. And, because they were waiting and silent, not knowing where they were going, they all felt something like mystery, something not to be explained or understood.

  At last the stars began to grow dim.

  “Someone is putting out the lights in the stars,” said Mr. Badger. “Soon it will be day.”

  Mr. Bear immediately sat up and began to look around, trying to see through the dimness of the fading night; but for some time he could see nothing except water and the white sky of very early morning.

  Mr. Lobster had been out of water all night, and, although the night had been cool and he had not been uncomfortable, now that the day was come he began to think of getting wet again. He wondered if Mr. Bear and Mr. Badger would mind stopping while he went down to the bottom of the ocean and looked for some breakfast; but, as it would be selfish for him to eat while his friends were hungry, he decided to say nothing about it.

  “No food. No water,” sighed Mr. Bear. “Lost on the sea and starving.”

  “Something will happen,” said Mr. Badger.

  They had all been brave all night, and no one had complained. It had been a long voyage, and every one of them was hoping that soon it would be over. They were hoping so hard that no one could think of a joke now, not even Mr. Badger.

  “LOOK!” MR. BEAR EXCLAIMED. “A DISCOVERY! LOOK OVER THERE!”

  Suddenly, after a long silence, Mr. Bear cried out.

  “Look!” he exclaimed. “A discovery! Look over there!”

  There was a dark spot on the water, far ahead of the boat.

  “An island!” shouted Mr. Badger. “An island as sure as I am a badger and a hero. We are successful explorers! We are about to discover something!”

  Soon Mr. Lobster could see. There was not only one island: there were two, one a very small one with low bushes growing on it, and the other a large island with tall trees.

  “Saved!” exclaimed Mr. Bear. “And I discovered them! Doesn’t that make me something, Mr. Badger?”

  “It makes you a great explorer,” said Mr. Badger.

  “Don’t steer for the small one,” said Mr. Bear. “Small islands
sink. Steer for the big one. I want an island that won’t sink, and one where there’s plenty of food.”

  “I have never been on an island,” remarked Mr. Lobster. “I am terribly curious.”

  After sailing and sailing, while Mr. Bear grew more and more impatient, they could see the beach of the large island, and Mr. Badger steered for a small harbor.

  “As we have no anchor, we must run in where the water is quiet and let our boat rest on the sand,” said Mr. Badger.

  When they were entering the harbor itself, which was really only a small cove, Mr. Bear climbed up on deck so as to be the first one ashore. He walked out to the point of the bow, all ready to jump.

  Mr. Badger saw him there, of course, and a gleam of mischief came into his eyes.

  “Hold on everybody!” he shouted.

  Then he suddenly steered the boat straight for shore, without letting down the sail or letting go of the sheet. There was a terrific bump, which sent Mr. Lobster sliding across the seat; and Mr. Bear let out a great growl. Of course there was nothing for Mr. Bear to hold on to. He tried to jump from the boat to the dry beach, but it was too far. Splash! The water flew everywhere. Mr. Bear howled with rage. Mr. Badger laughed.

  Mr. Bear had to run through water to get to shore.

  “Is that the way you handle a boat?” he demanded angrily.

  “The wind pushes the boat, you know,” said Mr. Badger innocently. He was busy letting down the sail and furling it neatly.

  “I am going to look for breakfast and lunch and supper,” said Mr. Bear. And he started off for the woods without waiting for his friends to go ashore.

  When he was gone, Mr. Lobster said to Mr. Badger, “I am afraid you did that on purpose.”

  “I am afraid I did,” answered Mr. Badger, pretending to look ashamed and not succeeding at all. “Somehow there are times when I cannot help doing mischievous things. I guess it is because I am an independent badger. And I do love to hear Mr. Bear growl when I know it’s nothing serious.”

  “Well, I suppose you will never change your ways,” said Mr. Lobster.

  “I hope not,” said Mr. Badger. “I am so happy as I am.”

  Mr. Lobster crawled over to the side of the boat. “I think I shall drop into the water now,” he said. “I must look for food before I explore the island, for now I am as hungry as I am curious, which is saying a great deal. Shall we meet here later?”

  “Yes,” agreed Mr. Badger. “I shall find Mr. Bear and we must all meet here and discover the island together. I shall pretend I have not seen anything in the meantime.”

  So Mr. Lobster dropped into the water and began crawling over a new part of the bottom of the ocean; and Mr. Badger went ashore.

  Mr. Lobster found the bottom of the ocean near the island a delightful place. There were rocks and seaweed and, best of all, many pleasant creatures such as flounders, sand-dabs, and perch. He crawled up several small hills and looked under all the big rocks for caves until he found one where he could spend his nights while he and Mr. Badger and Mr. Bear were exploring the island. And while he was crawling about he made some fast tail-snaps and rushes, so that the hollow place under his shell was no longer troubled by hunger and he felt that life was very good indeed. Also he kept a sharp lookout for unpleasant creatures, such as big fish and sharks, but he did not see one.

  When he was satisfied that everything was safe and pleasant, he returned to the cave which he had chosen and began to clean it out and make it neat. There were some old seaweed leaves and several empty shells in it, and these he pushed or carried outside and buried some distance away.

  “I cannot be anywhere for a long time without having a home there,” he thought; “so I shall call this my exploring home. Of course it is only temporary, but even temporary things should be neat. It is so much more pleasing to the eye. People who shut their eyes can put up with anything, I suppose, but as I never shut my eyes, I could never be happy in an untidy place. How very strange it must be not to see anything in the day time—just as though it were dark night. I must ask Mr. Bear and Mr. Badger sometime if it is night whenever they close their eyes.”

  With such curious thoughts he kept his mind busy until his new home was entirely satisfactory. Then he crawled ashore to meet Mr. Badger and Mr. Bear.

  “I trust that you are feeling better,” he said to Mr. Bear.

  “Oh, yes, I am passing well,” answered Mr. Bear. “But I would like a good big fried fish—or a tree full of honey.”

  “You must remember,” put in Mr. Badger, “that if you ate the same things here that you have at home it wouldn’t be exploring. Explorers always eat strange food, and the best explorers eat things they simply hate.”

  “I am already a great explorer, for you said so,” replied Mr. Bear, “and I discovered this island. And I intend to eat whatever I please.”

  Mr. Lobster wondered if Mr. Badger would disapprove of the delicious small fish he had just eaten. He thought it best not to ask any questions.

  Instead, he said, “Let us start exploring the island.”

  “By all means,” agreed Mr. Badger. “This is the greatest time of all. We shall walk all around this island this very day.”

  So they started. Mr. Badger and Mr. Bear walked slowly so that Mr. Lobster could keep up with them, and Mr. Lobster crawled just as fast as his eight legs would carry him. They walked for a time on the beach, but Mr. Bear remarked that it looked just like any other beach, so he didn’t see any use in walking there.

  “In fact,” he added, “I would never know I was exploring.”

  “You are wrong as usual,” said Mr. Badger. “This beach goes all around the island, I am sure; so it is a round beach. Our beach at home is a straight beach.”

  But they left the beach and went into the woods and continued on their way. This pleased Mr. Bear and especially pleased Mr. Lobster, for he still had not had nearly enough of woods and trees. He crawled through the old leaves on the ground and over weeds and enjoyed every minute of it. He looked up at the trees and kept a sharp lookout for animals, but there seemed to be no animals about, although there were birds high up in the trees.

  Suddenly Mr. Badger stopped.

  “Hark!” he said.

  “What does that mean?” asked Mr. Lobster.

  “It means listen especially hard,” answered Mr. Badger.

  They all stood still, listening. There was not a sound except leaves stirring overhead.

  “What is the matter now?” asked Mr. Bear finally.

  “I heard a sound. Someone is following us. It was a stealthy rustle.”

  “Like danger?” asked Mr. Bear.

  “Exactly,” said Mr. Badger.

  So they all listened and looked all around again, but there was not a sound and not a creature to be seen but the three explorers themselves.

  They continued their exploration. Mr. Lobster marveled at the trees, some of them with green moss on their trunks and some with black bark and some with snow-white bark. He was so busy looking around and touching things with his feelers to satisfy his curiosity that he soon forgot all about the stealthy rustle.

  Then Mr. Badger cried out again.

  “Hark!”

  And they all listened and looked, but there was not a sound and not a creature.

  “Very strange,” said Mr. Badger. “There is something going on here that we know nothing about.”

  “I thought you knew everything,” said Mr. Bear. “You always talk as if you did.” Then he laughed. It was the first joke he had ever had on Mr. Badger.

  Mr. Badger pretended he didn’t hear that remark of Mr. Bear’s.

  “This is serious,” he said. “I think it is the beginning of a new experience, probably an adventure or a narrow escape. We must keep together.”

  They went on slowly, but now both Mr. Lobster and Mr. Bear also listened carefully, and both of them heard the rustling behind them. Several times they all stopped and listened. Once Mr. Badger rushed off into the woods t
o look, but he saw not a single creature.

  “This is very bad,” he said when he returned. “Someone is following us, and he is invisible.”

  “Like the wind,” said Mr. Lobster.

  “Yes,” agreed Mr. Badger.

  Mr. Lobster trembled a little in the joints of his shell, but he assured himself that he was not afraid.

  “I think I am getting dry,” he hastened to say. “Perhaps I had better go in the water for a little while.”

  Mr. Bear shivered. Then he said: “It is cool in these woods. Let us go out in the sun again.”

  So they all went out on the beach for a time and continued their travels. Mr. Lobster spent several minutes in the water, and he wondered if it would be polite for him to walk around the island under water, where there were no stealthy rustles. He decided not to suggest it to Mr. Bear and Mr. Badger, and so he returned to the shore.

  After they had walked for a long time on the beach Mr. Badger started to walk toward the woods.

  “An explorer goes everywhere,” he said.

  There was nothing for Mr. Lobster and Mr. Bear to do but follow. They knew that friends always stick together, no matter what happens or what danger may threaten; but they much preferred walking somewhere else.

  All day they walked, and all day someone followed them through the woods. Mr. Lobster became more and more eager to return to his new home under the water. Mr. Bear was very nervous. His back hairs were standing up straight, and he growled in a low tone as he went along. Mr. Badger walked in an especially dignified manner with his legs stiff and his eyes gleaming, which were sure signs that he was angry and ready to fight if necessary.

  At last, when it seemed as though the island would go on forever, Mr. Bear saw his boat.

  “We are back,” he said with a great sigh of relief, and his back hairs went down again.

  But just then there was the stealthy rustle right behind him, and his hairs immediately stuck right up straight again. He let out a fearful growl and jumped. But there was no one to be seen.