chapter 5 lucian arrives
the children soon felt that the viking star was their home — a floating home, containing everythingthey wanted except the open countryside. they got to know every nook and cranny on the ship, theyexplored the engine-room under the eye of mac, the chief engineer, and they were even allowed upon the bridge by the first officer, a very great honour.
mrs. mannering made friends on the ship with two or three people she liked. there were only a fewchildren on board besides jack and the others, and they were much younger and so spoilt that nobodywanted to have much to do with them.
"i'd rather wish there were more children of your own age," mrs. mannering said to her four. "itmight be more fun for you."
"well — we don't want anyone else, thanks," said philip. "we're all right on our own. it's bad enoughhaving those other spoilt kids around — always wanting to mess about with micky, and trying to getkiki to talk to them."
"she's too sensible," said jack. "kiki just looks at them and says 'shut up!' whenever she sees them.""how rude of her!" said mrs. mannering. "i do hope you stop her when she talks like that to the otherchildren."
"well," actually i don't," said jack. "she only says what i jolly well would like to say myself. spoiltlittle brats! i'm going to push that nasty little yellow-haired girl into the swimming-pool one of thesedays — coming whining round me asking me if she can hold kiki. hold kiki! what does she thinkkiki is — one of her frightful dolls?"
"you mustn't push the child into the pool," said mrs. mannering, horrified. "i do agree she wantsslapping — but she's only a little girl, jack.""she's a human mosquito," said jack. "i just wish i had a fly-swatter when she comes near.""well, all the kids are getting off at the next stop," said philip, fondling micky, who, as usual, was onhis shoulder. the boys looked a curious pair, one with a parrot on his shoulder, the other with amonkey. the passengers smiled whenever they saw them.
"i'm glad to hear those tiresome children will soon be gone," said dinah, who was not very fond ofyoungsters. "but i expect some equally obnoxious ones will embark in their place."she was wrong as it happened. only one boy embarked, no girls at all. all the spoilt youngsters left,stumbling down the gangway at naples, screaming and complaining to the last, certainly a mostunpleasant collection of small children. jack and the others watched them go with pleasure, and kikiscreeched after them. "good-bye, good riddance, good-bye, good riddance!""jack! she's never said that before," said mrs. mannering reproachfully. "you must just have taughther!"
"kiki only reads my thoughts, aunt allie," laughed jack. "i say — look here — here comes rabbit-mouth!"
the children giggled as they watched a tall, gangling boy come up the gangway. his mouth certainlywas exactly like a rabbit's. the front teeth stuck out, and his chin sloped backwards. he was about asold as jack and philip. he wore large, round glasses that magnified his eyes and made them lookrather staring. he had a very amiable grin on his face as he came up the gangway.
he seemed very excited, and was talking in a mixture of english and some foreign language to arather languid-looking lady behind him, and a short, burly man who wore dark sun-glasses thatcompletely hid his eyes.
"uncle, aunt, we're off at last! oh, i say, what a magnificent ship! i'm sure i shan't be seasick in her."then he went off into what sounded like a string of gibberish, but was really a foreign language. kikicocked her head when she hard this string of what sounded to her like complete nonsense.
as the boy passed she spoke to him in a conversational tone, pouring out the same kind of gibberishthat she had heard. the boy looked at her in amazement.
"oh, i say! a talking parrot. oh, i say!""oh, i say!" repeated kiki immediately. "oh, i say! oh, i say!""shut up, kiki. don't be rude," said jack.
micky leaned forward on philip's shoulder and sent out a stream of excited chattering to kiki. therabbit-mouthed boy stared in delight.
"oh, i say! a talking monkey too! what's he saying?""he says he thinks he's seen you somewhere before, but he can't remember where, and he wants toknow if kiki the parrot remembers," said philip solemnly. lucy-ann gave a delighted giggle. theboy stared open-mouthed, then he laughed, showing all his rabbit-teeth.
"oh, you're pulling my leg, aren't you! but i say — what fun — a parrot that talks, and a tamemonkey! aren't you lucky!"
"get on, lucian, get on," said the burly man behind him, and gave the boy a push. lucian wentforward at a run, turning round to give the four children an apologetic grin for leaving them soabruptly. the man said something in an annoyed voice to the woman with him, but as he said it in aforeign language the children didn't understand a word. they guessed at once, however, that lucianwas not very popular with his uncle!
"well — if rabbit-mouth is the only boy to come on board here, i suppose he'll pin himself on to usall day long," said philip. "what a weed!""oh, i say!" said kiki. jack groaned.
"now we shall have kiki saying that day and night. it's a good thing micky can't talk properly —we'd never get a word in edgeways!"
the ship sailed off again into waters bluer than ever. it was pleasant to go to the bow of the ship andfeel the breeze. both kiki and micky liked this too.
just as jack and philip had feared, the rabbit-mouthed boy tagged himself on to them whenever hecould. the children always knew when he was coming because kiki invariably gave them warning.
"oh, i say!" she would squawk and the four would sigh. lucian again! he would come up grinningamiably, and settle himself beside them.
he told them all about himself immediately. he had no father or mother. his father had been english,but his mother was greek, so he had plenty of greek relations. he went to school in england, butspent most of his holidays with his relations. he was fourteen, nearly fifteen, he didn't like games, heloved history, and he wished his name wasn't lucian.
"why?" asked dinah.
"well — because the boys at my school change it to lucy-ann," explained lucian. "i mean — fancyhaving a name that's as girlish as that.""it's my name," said lucy-ann. "i like it.""well — it's very nice for you," said lucian. "but awful for me. especially when they shorten it andcall me lucy."
"juicy lucy!" said kiki at once in delight. "juicy lucy! oh, i say!"everybody roared, even lucian. kiki cackled too.
"juicy lucy, goosey-lucy, oh, i say!" caroled kiki.
"oh, i say really — that bird of yours is a regular comic, isn't she?" said lucian in admiration. "gosh,i wish i could borrow her to take back to school. i say, do you take her to school with you?""i used to," said jack regretfully. "but she kept telling our form-master to wipe his feet and shut thedoor, and when she yelled out 'don't sniff, use your hanky' to the head, well, that was about the end.""do you remember how you put her in a cupboard once, to hide her in class — and she went off likefireworks, fizzling and popping and exploding?" said philip, with a grin. "it was just after guyfawkes day — she remembered the noises."lucian listened in the greatest admiration, his rabbit-mouth open as if he listened with that as well aswith his ears.
"oh, i say! what happened?"
"well — we exploded too!" said philip. "and after that, the master did — in a different way, ofcourse. we had to put kiki out to live with someone in the village. we go to see her every day, ofcourse, and have her on half-holidays and week-ends.""and she always goes to every school match and cheers like anything — doesn't she, jack?" saidlucy-ann.
"she's a wonder," said lucian. "let me have her for a minute.""look out — she won't go to strangers," warned jack. but lucian was already trying to get hold ofthe wonderful parrot. he soon let her go. she gave him a vicious nip with her curved beak, and heyelled. to lucy-ann's amazement she saw tears in his eyes!
he turned and went off without a word, sucking his bleeding thumb. the others looked at oneanother.
"he was crying," said lucy-ann, in sheer amazement that a boy of fourteen should do such a thing.
"he's a nit-wit," said jack, trying to calm down kiki, who had put up her crest tremendously, and wasdancing angrily from one foot to another.
"nit-wit," said kiki, pouncing on the word at once. "nit-wit, wit-nit, tit-bit, bit-nit, oh, i say!""you're a bad bird, nipping people like that," scolded jack. "that was a nasty nip.""nip-wit," announced kiki.
"yes, that's about what you are — a nip-wit!" said jack, with a chuckle. "now don't you start, micky!
we've had enough rudery from kiki."
micky had started off on one of his long strings of excited gibberish. it was comical to see howseriously and solemnly kiki listened to this, with her head on one side.
she answered the little monkey solemnly when he had finished his excited announcement, whateverit was.
"rikky-likky-acky, icky, pop-pop-pop!" she said. the children roared. "she thinks she's talking hislanguage. good old kiki! you can't get the better of her," said philip. "i'm glad she's more friendlywith micky now. he's such a dear."
"he's getting awfully mischievous though," said dinah, who now thought of the monkey much morekindly. "he went into a dozen cabins yesterday, and collected all the soaps out of the basins and putthem in one of the armchairs in the lounge.""gracious!" said jack. "he'll be getting into trouble soon.""you mean we shall," said philip. "i wish we could teach kiki to keep an eye on micky for us — butshe encourages him. i'm sure it was kiki who told the monkey to climb up the pole to the man in thecrow's-nest there and give him an awful fright.""micky's a dear," said lucy-ann, and she tickled him under his furry chin. he looked at her withwise, sad eyes. lucy-ann knew he was very happy now, but she was always worried because helooked at her sorrowfully. she only half believed philip when he told her that all monkeys lookedsad.
"there's the gong for lunch," said lucy-ann thankfully. "i feel as if it's about an hour late today, i'mso hungry. come on, everybody!"
