Baum, L Frank - Oz 30 by Baum L Frank

Author:Baum, L Frank
Language: eng
Format: epub

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

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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,

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