Captain Salt In Oz by L. Frank Baum

Author:L. Frank Baum [Baum, L. Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Oz, Fiction
Published: 2011-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

THE CITY OF BRIDGES

The days that followed always seemed to Tandy the happiest he had known. He

wondered how he had ever endured his long, tedious, pent-up life in

Ozamaland. There was so much to see and do on a ship that the hours were

not half long enough. Being a full-fledged member of the crew, he took his

turn on watch, his trick at the wheel, and had besides other duties on

deck. After a bit of practice, he could scramble aloft like a monkey and

liked nothing so much as perching in the rigging looking far out to sea.

The Read Bird has fastened a special rope to the mizzenmast so that Tandy

could swing out and drop down on Nikobo's raft, and much of his free time

was spent with the faithful hippopotamus. Sea life agreed enormously with

Nikobo, especially since Ato had solved the largest item of her diet.

Noting the tangled mass of seaweed often floating by on the surface of the

sea, the clever cook let down the ship's nets daily. The seaweed, crisp,

tender and green, was dragged on deck, where Roger and Tandy went carefully

through it, removing all crabs, small fish and seashells which seriously

disagreed with the hippopotamus. A huge hamperfull was lowered to her every

evening, and with this plentiful supply of green food and with the bread

and delicious vegetable scraps Ato saved from the table Nikobo fared better

than she had on the island. The largest tub on the boat served as a

drinking cup, and this Tandy kept full by playing down the hose from the

deck, giving her a daily shower of fresh water at the same time. So,

lacking nothing in interest or comfort, Nikobo enjoyed herself hugely and

to the fullest extent.

On calm mornings, with the Crescent Moon hove to, all hands would go

swimming. Nikobo loved to swim and to roll over and over like a mighty

porpoise, even though the salt water made her eyes sting. Since Tandy had

given Samuel the drawings of the Leopard Men, the ship's Captain could not

do enough for his young cabin boy, and among other things had made a rope

harness for Nikobo so Tandy could hang on when he perched upon her slippery

back. At first he had been satisfied to ride Nikobo, but after several days

he was splashing recklessly with the others and Samuel had taught him all

the swimming strokes he knew and had Tandy diving over and under the

hippopotamus in a way to make Roger scream with envy and approval. Swimming

was the only part of a sea voyage the Read Bird could not really enjoy, but

he was always on hand to give advice, roosting on Nikobo's head so long as

she stayed above water and taking hurriedly to his wings when she

mischievously tried to duck him.

The hippopotamus made a really splendid raft when they tired of swimming,

and Ato, who did not care for water sports so much as Samuel or Tandy,

fished for hours from her back, his feet hooked through the ropes of her

harness to keep him from falling into the sea. The only thing Tandy

regretted was Nikobo's great size and that she could not come aboard ship

and join them in the cabin.

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