by David Cory
The Whale put out the fire, but he nearly sank the Ark.]
FIRE! FIRE!
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
Marjorie awoke with a start. The Weathercock was again sounding thewarning, "Fire! Fire! Fire!"
"Where?" cried Marjorie, looking out of the porthole at the excitedWeathercock and then down to the deck, where at that moment Capt. Noah andhis sons appeared, each armed with a pail.
The fire evidently was at the forward end of the Ark, for Noah and hiscrew ran in that direction.
It took Marjorie but a few minutes to dress, and just as she reached thedeck, Mr. Jonah appeared.
"This is a poor way to put out a fire," he said, as he tossed the waterfrom his pail down the hatchway, from which was rising a thick cloud ofsmoke. "We need a hose and a pump."
"Hurry up, Jonah!" commanded Capt. Noah. "This fire is getting too muchheadway to suit me. I'm afraid the animals will be roasted if we don't putit out pretty soon!"
As he finished speaking the Elephant rushed on deck and, leaning over theside of the Ark, filled his trunk with water, which he immediatelysquirted over himself. And then Mrs. Elephant did the same.
"I was never so warm before," she remarked; "not even in India. If I hadstayed another minute below deck I would have been scarred for life!"
By this time the deck was crowded. Some of the animals were nearlyfrightened to death; some were choking with the smoke, while others werefilling the air with noises of all kinds. It was as if pandemonium werelet loose.
Those animals which could climb were soon scrambling to the roof of theArk, where they sat on or clung desperately to the ridgepole.
The deck grew hotter and hotter, and it was necessary for every one todance about in order to keep his feet from blistering.
"Holy sufferin' mackerel!" exclaimed Capt. Noah, now realizing theseriousness of the situation. "Are we to be burned at sea?"
"Get the Elephants to squirt water down the hold," suggested Ham.
"Get busy," said Capt. Noah to the Elephants. "Your trunks are nearly asgood as hose. Why don't you help us?"
"What do you say, Ella?" said the Elephant. "If we don't we may have toswim later."
Without answering, she went forward and commenced drawing up the saltwater in her trunk and then sending it in a swift stream down into thehold. The fire, however, was gaining fast, and in spite of the efforts ofthe Elephants and the crew the danger increased to an alarming extent, andat last the flames leaped forth and crawled over the deck.
The animals howled and rushed to the stern of the Ark, which raised thebow high in the air, and thus added to the danger.
"If it would only rain!" said Mrs. Noah, who sat on a coil of rope, hersealskin coat on her arm and her jewel box in her hand.
"If it would only rain! This can't be the forty-first day, can it? Timedoes go so fast."
Well, I guess something terrible would have happened if just then all of asudden the Weathercock hadn't seen the Whale, who had landed Mr. Jonahaboard, some two or three chapters ago.
"There's the Whale!" shouted the Weathercock. "See him spout!"
"Run up a signal of distress!" commanded Capt. Noah. "He might save Mr.Jonah for old times' sake!"
"If he'd only get up close and spout water over the Ark, he'd put out thefire pretty quick," said Ham.
"Good idea," said Capt. Noah. "Ship ahoy!" yelled Mr. Jonah, waving hisred bandanna handkerchief in the air. "Ahoy! Ahoy!"
Then the Whale stopped spouting and made for the Ark.
"He's coming! He's coming!" shouted the Weathercock.
"Don't stop squirting water," said Capt. Noah to the Elephants.
"On with the pail brigade!" screamed Ham. And then the monkeys slid downfrom the roof and grabbed hold of the pails and threw water down the hold.But still the cruel flames crept nearer and nearer.
"Oh, dear!" sighed Mrs. Noah. "I'm afraid my sealskin coat will getsinged, and after all the trouble I've had putting it up in camphor."
And then, all of a sudden, a tremendous stream of water fell upon the Ark,soaking every one to the skin. And soon the deck was a river, and thesteam that came out of the hold almost suffocated everybody.
"Goodness me!" screamed Mrs. Noah. "We'll be swamped!"
"Hold on, there," shouted Capt. Noah, leaning over the side of the Ark,where the Whale lay like a fire patrol boat in action. "Hold on! Turn offthe hose, or you'll drown us!"
So the good-natured Whale shut off the water, while Capt. Noah added: "ATurkish bath has nothing on this!"
"It was awfully kind of you to come to our rescue," said Mrs. Noah,smiling sweetly at the Whale as she leaned over the railing.
"Well, if you hadn't come just when you did," said Capt. Noah, "I guesswe'd all have gone down to Davey Jones' locker."
"Don't mention it," said the Whale. "Glad to have been able to do you alittle favor. You see," he added in a low voice, "Mr. Jonah was neversatisfied when he was my guest. He was always complaining about thedampness. So when you came along and I had a chance to put him aboard theArk I was tickled to death. In fact, I was so glad to get rid of mypassenger that I made up this little poem," and then the Whale began tospout:
"It's not so very pleasant, when sailing on the sea, To have a passenger aboard who's sulky as can be; And that's the reason, after dark, I landed him aboard the Ark."
And after that he swam away, and the Ark began once more to skim over thedark blue sea. And by and by, after a while, Capt. Noah said:
"We'll have to make new bunks and berths for the animals, I guess, for thefire has burned up everything."
And, oh, dear me! When he went below he saw that everything was burned toa cinder.
"We'll have to land somewhere and make repairs," said Mr. Jonah.
"I guess we will," said Capt. Noah, and all the animals began to howl andmake dreadful noises, for they didn't want to go down in the smoky hold,you see.
And just then all of a sudden the Weathercock called out:
"Land to starboard!"
And, sure enough, looming up in the dim distance was a mountainous shoreline.