chapter 3 everyone settles in
dinah, lucy-ann and philip rushed to find jack. the parrot had reached the ship, and they had lostsight of it. they were all certain it was kiki, and philip had a shrewd idea that jack wouldn't be quiteso surprised about it as they themselves were.
jack was nowhere to be found. it was most exasperating. they hunted for him everywhere, and at lastlucy-ann thought of his cabin. "he might be there," she said. "though why he wants to go and shuthimself up there just at the exciting moment when the ship is leaving southampton, i really can'timagine! and where's the parrot? she seems to have disappeared too."they went down the stairs to the cabins and found their way to the passage where theirs were. theyflung open jack's door and crowded in. "jack! are you here? what do you think we've just seen?"they stopped in surprise at what they saw. jack was sitting on his bed in the cabin, and kiki was onhis shoulder, making a curious crooning noise into his ear, pulling at it gently.
"gosh!" said philip. "so she found you. i suppose it is kiki?""of course, idiot," said jack. "what a bit of luck, wasn't it? old porky brought her down to the quayto see me off, chained to his wrist — and she broke the chain and flew over to me! came into myporthole too — brainy old bird!"
"porky? the boy you used to know at school! did you give kiki to him to mind for you?" said lucy-ann, amazed. "but — how did she get down here.""i brought her in the car yesterday," said jack, putting one hand over his ear so that kiki couldn'tnibble it. "she was in the picnic-basket i was carrying, as quiet as a mouse. i was terrified one of youwould ask me to open the basket and get you out something to eat!""but i say — won't porky be upset to have her escape like that?" said dinah.
"and how did she know you were here, if you were down in your cabin?" wondered lucy-ann.
"perhaps she heard me call her. that must have been it — she heard me yelling 'kiki! kiki!', brokeher chain in her excitement and flew over — and by a lucky chance she chose your very porthole!""you'd better tell aunt allie all that," said jack, with a grin. "it makes a very fine story — better thanmine!"
the three stared at him in silence. "you're a determined old fraud, jack," said philip, at last. "youarranged it all, i bet you did! yes, even arranged for the chain to snap and for kiki to see or hear youat your porthole."
jack grinned again. "well, i think lucy-ann's idea is very good — shouting to kiki like that andmaking her so excited that she flew across to the ship. anyway, she's here, and here she stays. i'dbetter keep her down in the cabin, i think."they all made a fuss of old kiki, who enjoyed it very much indeed. she couldn't understand the noisethe vibration of the engines made, and kept cocking her head on one side to listen. she tried animitation, but not a very good one.
"now don't you do any funny noises," jack warned her. "you don't want to be hauled up before thecaptain, do you?"
"pop goes the weasel," said kiki, and pecked his ear. then she suddenly gave a most realistic sneeze.
"don't," said jack. "use your handkerchief! gosh, kiki, i couldn't have gone without you."everyone was pleased to know that kiki was safely with them. they broke the news as gently aspossible to mrs. mannering. she listened in annoyance, but it didn't seem to occur to her for onemoment that kiki's arrival was anything but an unfortunate accident. she sighed.
"all right. if she's here, she's here. but for goodness' sake, jack, keep her locked up in the cabin. youreally will get into trouble if the passengers complain about her, and she may be sent to the men'sdeck and put in a cage if you don't keep a firm hand on her."so kiki was locked into the cabin, and passed the first day wondering whether she was giddy, orwhether there was a slight earthquake going on all the time. she had no idea she was in a big ship,and couldn't understand its movements, though she had many a time been in small boats.
the first day seemed lovely and long. the viking star slid easily through the calm blue water, herengines purring sweetly, leaving behind her a creamy wake that seemed to have no end, but to stretchright back to the horizon itself. england was soon left behind. the first stop was to be lisbon inportugal.
it was fun to go down to meals in the big dining-room, and choose what they liked from the longmenu. it was fun to go up on the sports deck and play deck-tennis and try to keep their balance asthey ran for the rubber ring. it was even fun to go to bed — because it meant snuggling down into anarrow bunk-like bed, turning out the light, feeling the breeze from the electric fan cooling their hotbodies and hearing the plish-plish-plash of the water just below their portholes.
"lovely!" said lucy-ann, before she fell asleep. "i hope this trip doesn't turn into an adventure. i likeit as it is. it's quite exciting enough without having an adventure."it wasn't quite so nice in the bay of biscay! the sea was rough and choppy there, and the boatpitched and tossed and rolled. mrs. mannering didn't like it at all. she stayed in her cabin, but thefour children were as right as rain. they turned up to every meal in the dining-room, and ate steadilyright down the menu. they would even have gone up to try and play deck-tennis on the sports deck ifone of the stewards hadn't firmly forbidden them to.
and then, quite suddenly as it seemed, everything changed. the sea grew blue and calm, the sunshone out very hotly indeed, the sky was brilliant, and every officer and man appeared in spotlesswhite.
mrs. mannering felt all right again — and kiki grew very impatient at being kept in the cabin. shewas already great friends with the steward and stewardess who looked after the cabins. they hadsoon got over their astonishment at finding her in jack's cabin.
they hadn't seen her at first. she was sitting behind the little curtain that hung at the side of theporthole, which jack had to keep shut in case kiki flew out. it was the stewardess who heard her first.
she had come in to make the beds.
kiki watched her slyly from behind the curtain. then she spoke in a firm and decided voice.
"put the kettle on."
the stewardess was startled. she looked round at the door thinking that someone must be there,speaking to her. but nobody was.
kiki gave a loud hiccup. "pardon," she said. the stewardess felt alarmed. she looked all round. sheopened the cupboard door.
"what a pity, what a pity," said kiki, in such a mournful voice that the stewardess could bear it nolonger and flew to find the steward. he was a dour and determined scot, with very little patience.
he came into the cabin and looked round. "what's to do, wumman?" he said to the stewardess.
"what's scairt ye? there's naught here."
kiki gave a long cough, and then sneezed violently. "pardon," she said. "where's your hanky?"now it was the steward's turn to look amazed. he stared all round the cabin. kiki gave a loud andrealistic yawn. she had a wonderful collection of noises. she couldn't resist looking round the curtainto see how her performance was going.
the steward saw her and strode over to the porthole. "now look ye here — it's a parrot!" he said.
"did ever ye hear the like? a fine clever bird it must be to do all that! well, polly — you're a cleverwee bird, that's what you are!"
kiki flew to the top of the cupboard and looked at the steward and stewardess, first out of one eye andthen out of the other. then she made a noise like the dinner-gong being beaten for the ship's meals.
at the end she went off into one of her cackles of laughter.
"it fair beats ye, doesn't it?" said the scots steward, amazed. "a rare bonny bird it is. the laddie thatowns it should think shame on himself to keep it shut up here.""it scared me right enough," said the stewardess. "i wonder if it would like a grape. my great-aunt'sparrot loved grapes. i'll go and get some."pretty soon kiki was enjoying some black grapes, and when jack came along to see her, he found thecabin floor scattered with grape-pips, and two admiring people gaping at kiki in delight.
"dirty bird!" said jack sternly, looking down at the pips. "you come down off that cupboard and pickup these pips."
"pips," said kiki. "pops. pip goes the weasel.""i hope she hasn't been annoying you," said jack to the stewardess.
"oh, she's wonderful," said the woman. "i never saw such a clever bird. you ought to take her up andshow her off."
it wasn't very long before jack did take her up to the deck above on his shoulder, much to the surpriseand amusement of all the passengers. kiki had a wonderful time, showing off. the only thing shecouldn't bear was the hoot of the ship's siren, which always startled her so much that she fell offjack's shoulder in fright every time she heard it. she didn't know what it was or where it came from,and usually flew off to hide herself somewhere whenever she heard it.
she came to the lifeboat drill, and lucy-ann was certain she was upset because she hadn't a small lifejacket to wear. they all put theirs on, went to the right lifeboat and listened to a short talk from oneof the officers about what they were to do if danger arose. lucy-ann hoped fervently that it wouldn't.
"we're going to land in lisbon tomorrow," said mrs. mannering. "but none of you is to wander offalone. i'm not going to have any adventure starting up. you'll all keep close to me — pleaseunderstand that!"
