by David Cory
Mr. Jonah and the Animals huddled around the stove to getwarm.]
THE ICEBERG
Jingle bells! Jingle bells! It's getting cold as ice, Put your furs and mittens on, Wrap up warm and nice.
Marjorie awoke with a start. My, how cold it was! The porthole glass wascovered with a network of frosty lace, and the little Dove, who slept inMarjorie's cabin, pulled her head out from under her wing and shivered.
"What has happened?" asked Marjorie, sitting up in bed and looking abouther.
Perhaps she expected to see Jack Frost sitting in the rocking chair!
Quickly pulling on her slippers she ran to the porthole to ask her goodfriend the Weathercock the reason for this sudden drop in the temperature.
She found him, as usual, perched on the flagpole. His comb was very red,as if Jack Frost had given it a nip, and now and then he raised one leg tohis breast to warm his toes in the fluffy feathers.
"Good morning," said Marjorie. "Isn't it freezing?"
"Do you wonder?" answered the Weathercock, pointing to a large icebergclose at hand.
She turned to look and, sure enough, just a few feet away was a greatmountain of ice.
"We're aground on an iceberg," went on the Weathercock. "We ran into anice floe last night and the Ark slipped upon the ledge of the iceberg andgrounded."
"Goodness gracious!" cried Marjorie. "What are we ever going to do?"
"I'm sure I don't know," answered the Weathercock. "I'll have to get somewoolen socks and a pair of felt shoes or my toes will be frostbitten!"
"Perhaps Mrs. Noah will knit you a pair," said Marjorie. "I'm going downto breakfast now and I'll speak to her about it."
"Thank you," replied the Weathercock. "And tell her I wouldn't mind havinga worsted muffler, too."
Down below matters were even worse, for the fresh water had frozen duringthe night, so that it was impossible to give the animals a drink.
Mrs. Noah had been forced to melt a piece of ice in a pan over the fire inorder to have water with which to make the coffee.
"Whew!" exclaimed Capt. Noah, coming in from deck and closing the door asquickly as possible. "My hands are almost frozen. This is as bad as a tripto the North Pole. Perhaps worse, for we are totally unprepared for thiskind of weather."
Just then Mr. Jonah and the boys came in, rubbing their hands and stampingtheir feet to keep warm.
"Merry Christmas!" laughed Ham, "the skating's fine out on the ice floe!"
"How jolly!" cried Marjorie. "Let's go skating after breakfast!"
"No, sir-e-e," said Capt. Noah. "The boys must help me float the Ark. Oneof the rubber-tired wheels is crushed and it will take a lot of hard workto get her off."
"We'd better set about it as soon as possible," said Mr. Jonah, afterCapt. Noah had made an inspection. "Some of the animals are nearlyperishing with the cold. The monkeys are rolled up so tight you'd thinkthey were fur balls. Only the polar bears seem to enjoy life, and they arejust crazy to take a run on the ice."
"Let them wait," said Capt. Noah; "we have more serious things to attendto than pleasure for the moment."
"Well, come and get a good hot breakfast first," said Mrs. Noah, bringingin the steaming coffee pot and a plate of hot corn muffins. "Afterbreakfast you'll all feel differently."
This was, indeed, good advice, and when breakfast was over Capt. Noahsaid, "Get the crowbar and the wooden rollers, Japheth. We'll see if wecan't start the old Ark moving. Maybe she's stuck too deep in the ice, butwe'll try, at any rate."
"Here, my little girl," said kind Mrs. Noah to Marjorie, "put on thismuffler if you're going out. It's pretty cold."
So Marjorie tied the warm muffler around her neck and stepped out on deck.
A beautiful sight met her eyes. Towering high above was a mountain ofglittering ice, while as far as the eye could reach was a field of ice andsnow.
Under the rays of the morning sun parts of the great berg glittered like arainbow.
It was so cold that Marjorie had to jump up and down to keep her toes fromfreezing.
Down on the ice, close to the Ark, Capt. Noah and his crew were busily atwork. One of the auto wheels had sunk deep into the ice and acted like ananchor. The other wheels also were embedded in the ice so that the Ark washeld as if in a vise.
"Guess we'll have to give it up," exclaimed Capt. Noah after an hour'shard work, during which time the Ark had not moved an inch.
"We'd better make up our minds to winter here until the iceberg floatsinto a warmer climate and either melts or breaks apart."
"That's cheerful," said Mr. Jonah. "I've nothing but summer flannels and amackintosh with me."
"What about some of the poor animals who are used to the Torrid Zone?"replied Capt. Noah, shouldering the crowbar and climbing up the ropeladder to the deck.
Mr. Jonah did not reply, but turned up his coat collar and stamped uponhis feet to warm them.
"The hairless Mexican dog will surely die if we don't do something forhim," said Ham. "I think I'll ask mother if she won't let him stay in thekitchen."
But Mrs. Noah did not seem very pleased over the suggestion.
"Gracious me!" she said. "Shem already has two parrots, a marmoset and alittle green snake in the kitchen. I don't suppose one more animal wouldmake much difference, if it will only keep from under my feet. I nearlystepped on one of the snakes this morning, and the kitchen is none toolarge, anyway."
"Don't you boys worry your mother any more," said Capt. Noah sternly. "Theanimals have got to make the best of it. Any one who travels by seaundergoes some risk and I'm sure I'm as careful a captain as a man couldbe. It's lucky we didn't go down to the bottom of the sea when we struckthe berg, instead of running up on it safely."
After dinner Capt. Noah and Mr. Jonah held a consultation as to what wasthe best thing to do under the circumstances.
"Of course, some of the animals, like the polar bears and the seals, willenjoy a vacation on the ice. The penguins, too, will be glad to have alittle change. We can let them out and the rest of the Arctic passengers.But how to keep the other animals warm, puzzles me. We haven't coal enoughto keep the furnaces going for very long."
Mr. Jonah stroked his chin reflectively. "We might dig a channel from theArk to the edge of the berg and then float the Ark," he said, after apause.
"That's a pretty good scheme," said Capt. Noah. "We'll get to work atonce. Here, you boys, get the pickaxes and come with me."
By evening the canal was finished. "Now, when the tide rises," said Capt.Noah, resting on the handle of his pickax, "perhaps the old tub willfloat."
It was now quite dark, so all hands returned to the Ark.
The animals which had been allowed to play on the ice had all returnedexcept the two polar bears, who begged Capt. Noah to let them stay out allnight, as they wished to see the Northern Lights from the top of theiceberg.
It was a very tired family that gathered around the supper table thatevening. But after the meal was over the Weathercock began to sing:
"It's time for bed, and all the Ark Should soon be snoring in the dark, The elephant and kangaroo, The lion and the curled horn gnu, Have gone to bed, and so should you, So good night, cock-a-doodle-doo!"