Night Birds On Nantucket (6 page)

‘Would you – would you sing something now? That song you were singing before?'

‘All right,' said Dido again. She began to sing in a small gruff voice:

She stroked the tousled head. It lay heavily on her shoulder, and before long drooped in sleep.

Dido sat and stared at the lamp, which they had forgotten to turn out. Presently its yellow flame swelled and wavered in a blur of tears. Resolutely she blinked them away. It was stupid to be homesick when she knew her family wouldn't be missing her much anyway, if at all.

‘
PSST! HEY! CAP'N
– Cap'n Casket! Will you step this-away?'

Captain casket started, as Dido's voice roused him from his usual sad reverie; he turned and saw her standing behind him.

Making sure that no one could overhear she came close to him and hissed conspiratorially:

‘I've done it! She's out!'

Captain Casket appeared thunderstruck.

‘On deck?'

‘No, no, no, gaffer. Not yet. Give us time. But she's out in the cabin eatin' of plum-duff and a-playin' hopscotch. I'll have her on deck one o' these days, though, s'long as you don't come creating and badgering.'

‘Thee is a remarkable child,' Captain Casket said solemnly.

‘I say though,' Dido went on, ‘what 'bout this Auntie Trib, then? She fair gives young Pen the horrors. Pen
thinks she's a dragon. It'll be all my work for Habakkuk if Pen finds Auntie Trib's going to have charge of her in Nantucket; she'll snib herself up in the pantry again before you can say whale-o!'

Captain Casket looked harassed. ‘Sister Tribulation is really a most estimable character,' he murmured. ‘She is endowed with every Christian virtue.'

‘You allus says that,' Dido interjected.

‘My poor Sarah – my poor wife never understood her. But I am sure that
thee
could persuade Dutiful Penitence to like her aunt, my child.'

‘That's as maybe,' Dido said drily. ‘Anyhows, you better consider if there ain't somebody else as could do the job. I'm a-warning you, see? Blimey, on an island the size of Nantucket' – Dido had found it on the map by now – ‘there must be somebody else as could have charge of her. Now, I'm a-going to teach Dutiful P to play shuttlecock; lor, I don't wonder the poor little tyke's so mopish. She ain't had no upbringing at all!'

It took several weeks of Dido's company and encouragement before Penitence could be persuaded on deck. Dido was too shrewd to hurry her. They played endless games in the cabin, sang songs, asked riddles, and talked, each telling the other the whole story of her life. Penitence was quite amazed by Dido's tales of the London streets and could never hear enough about the fairs and the fights, the street markets, Punch and Judy shows, glimpses of grand people in their carriages, and the little Scottish King James III, against whom the Hanoverians were always plotting.

‘Fancy living in such a great city!' Penitence said
dreamily. ‘Why, where we lived in Nantucket it's almost five miles to the next
house
.'

‘Wouldn't suit me,' Dido said. ‘I likes a bit o' life and company.'

‘My mamma didn't like it either. She came from Boston. When Papa went to sea,' Pen confessed, ‘she used to take me for long visits to Cousin Ann in New Bedford. We didn't stay in Nantucket much.'

Dido had become quite fond of Pen by now – there was more in the funny little thing than met the eye – but none the less it was a relief to run up on deck now and then, to talk to Nate and joke with the sailors; after a few hours of Pen's company she felt she wanted to shout and jump and climb into the rigging. Pen had grown absolutely devoted to her and, Dido considered, was coming out of her mopey ways very well.

Pen still kept her quiet tastes, though; she liked to spend several hours a day doing lessons and sewing; she offered to read the Bible or hymns to Dido but this, for the most part, Dido politely refused.

‘Tell you what, though,' she suggested. ‘How 'bout asking your pa if we can invite Nate to come down and sing you some o' his songs? He knows a rare lot, and on top o' that he's allus rattling off new ones. Wouldn't you like it, eh?'

Penitence looked doubtful. ‘Is he very big? He isn't rough? He wouldn't tease me or hurt me?'

‘Now,
Pen
! Don't you know me better'n that by now? Would I ask him if he was liable to do such blame-fool things? I'm
surprised
at you!'

Pen apologized, Captain Casket's permission was obtained, and Nate, rather bashfully, came down to the
stateroom with his zither. At first Penitence trembled a good deal at the close presence of such a tall, lanky, red-headed creature, and was quite speechless with shyness. But when Nate sang:

she was quite delighted, clapped her hands, and exclaimed, ‘Oh that
is
pretty! Sing it again!'

Nate sang it again, and many others. Dido, curled up under the chart table, hugged her knees and congratulated herself. From that day, Nate was a welcome visitor in the cabin; in fact he was with them, singing a song about the high-rolling breakers on the south shore of Nantucket, and the brave fishermen who launched their dories through the foam, when a sudden shout from the deck startled them.

‘Land! Land-ho!'

‘Must have sighted the Galapagos!' said Nate, scrambling to his feet. ‘Blame it, why wasn't I up aloft? Cap'n Casket allus gives half a dollar to the first one that sights land. See you later, gals!' And he bolted out.

‘How about it, Pen?' Dido said carelessly. ‘Coming up for a look-see? Nate says there are giant tortoises on the Galapagos, as big as tea tables.'

Pen hesitated, in an agony of indecision; at last she agreed.

Dido was quite glad of the chance to bring Pen on deck when Mr Slighcarp would be ashore, buying fresh fruit and vegetables; the rest of the men were kind and friendly to her but the first mate always had a scowl and a harsh word; she had been rather anxious about the effect of this on Penitence. Luckily the deck was quite empty when, clutching Dido's hand in a tight grip, Penitence timidly followed her up the companionway and came blinking into the sunshine.

‘Oh,' she breathed in astonishment. ‘Isn't it
bright
? And warm! I thought we were in the Arctic.'

‘We left that behind weeks ago,' Dido said kindly. ‘Sit down on a coil o' rope, you're all of a tremble.'

Penitence sank down obediently. In the bright sunshine her face seemed as pale as a primrose, and contrasted strangely with Dido's healthy tan. At first she was pitiably nervous, her great blue eyes widened and she clasped Dido's hand violently whenever a wavecrest broke near the ship.

Unfortunately the land was too far away for much to be visible except a low-lying mass with some scrubby trees on it. But they were excited to see another ship, the
Martha
, anchored not far off.

Presently Captain Casket wandered along towards them. He started uncontrollably when he saw Penitence, but Dido gave him such a fierce scowl of warning that he tried to conceal his astonishment and only said:

‘I am glad to see thee out in the fresh air at last, Daughter. Thee must get some roses into thy cheeks like those of thy little friend.'

Penitence made an awkward bob, and answered, ‘Yes Papa,' in such a subdued tone that it was hardly audible; she seemed greatly relieved when he walked away along the deck.

Soon there came a hail from the
Martha
, and a boat was lowered and rowed towards them; a cheerful red-faced man called: ‘Jabez! Cap'n Jabez Casket! Are you there? Can I come aboard for a gam? I've some mail for you, only eight months out o' New Bedford.'

‘Come aboard and welcome, Cap'n Bilger,' Captain Casket called, and the skipper of the
Martha
was swung aboard. He handed over a batch of letters for the
Sarah Casket
's captain and crew, and asked if they could spare any ship's biscuit as most of his had been spoiled by a leak; he offered coffee and Lemon Syrup in exchange (which the cook was glad to accept since Pen had eaten all the jelly).

‘Concern it!' exclaimed Captain Bilger, slapping his leg in annoyance. ‘If I haven't forgotten to bring over that blame bird!'

‘Bird? What bird?' Captain Casket inquired.

‘Why, a bird belonging to that boy of yours, Nate Pardon. One of my men caught it flapping about the streets of New Bedford before we sailed and recognized it as his; we've had it aboard ever since. I'll be thankful to see the last of it, I can tell you. That bird would talk the ears off a brass monkey. Now I come to think, I've another letter for you, as well. It got a mite damp, came unstuck, and I put it aside from the others. My memory's fuller of holes'n a dip-net.'

‘No matter,' said Captain Casket. ‘My men can call round by the
Martha
when they come back from
provisioning and pick up the bird and the letter. Young Nate will be glad to see his pet.'

The two captains went below to gossip and, an early tropical dusk falling soon after, Dido and Penitence also retired to their cabin to play hunt the thimble and speculate as to what sort of things Nate's bird would be able to say.

Pen was quite tired out by the fresh air and the excitement of being on deck; she soon went to bed and to sleep. Dido, however, was not sleepy; she returned to lean on the rail and gaze wistfully at the lights on shore. Presently she heard Captain Bilger taking his leave, and later still the men returned. Having been instructed by signals with a lantern they rowed round by the
Martha
and picked up Nate's bird, but Dido heard Mr Slighcarp telling Captain Casket that Captain Bilger found he had been mistaken about the extra letter; it was after all not for him but for the captain of some other ship.

Nate was overjoyed to recover his bird, which he had never expected to see again, and showed it off proudly to Dido.

‘His name's Mr Jenkins. Ain't he beautiful?'

Dido admired the bird's glossy black plumage and brilliant yellow bill.

‘What does he say?'

The bird gave her a haughty glance and remarked:

‘Dinner is served in the small ballroom, your grace.'

‘Ain't he a stunner?' Nate said. ‘He goes on like that all the time. We reckoned as how he musta belonged to some lord or duke once.'

‘Order the perch phaeton,' croaked Mr Jenkins. ‘A
young person has called, your lordship. Tea is served in her grace's boudoir. Ho, there, a chair for Lady Fothergill!'

‘You silly old sausage,' said Nate, giving his pet a loving hug. ‘There aren't any lords or dukes here.'

Affronted and on his dignity, Mr Jenkins clambered out of Nate's arms and ascended to the top of his head, where he suddenly shouted in a stentorian voice, ‘God save the King! Hooray for Jamie Three! God save our sovereign lord King James and
DOWN WITH THE GEORGIANS!
'

Mr Slighcarp happened to be passing at that moment. He gave a violent start and dropped the telescope he was carrying. It fell with a crash.

‘Who said that?' he cried.

‘It was the bird, Mr Slighcarp, old Jenkins.'

‘Well don't let him do it again or I'll wring his neck!' the mate said with an oath. ‘Plague take the creature, you'd best keep him under hatches if he's liable to go on like that. I won't have it, see?'

Much abashed, Nate hurried his pet below. Dido, who was still feeling wakeful, retreated to a patch of shadow against the bulwarks and curled up there, listening longingly to cheerful sounds of music and singing from the
Martha
.

Presently Captain Casket approached her. He was a changed man; his eyes glittered feverishly and he walked with a rapid, excited step.

‘Ah, my child,' he said cordially. ‘Is not this stirring news?'

Dido thought he was referring to the mail he had received.

‘You fixed up what you're going to do about young Pen, then, when you gets back to Nantucket?' she said hopefully. ‘Someone offered to look arter her?'

‘Oh, that. No, no, Captain Bilger tells me that the pink whale has been sighted off the Peruvian coast. We shall see her! I feel certain that we shall see her soon!'

‘Oh, bother the pink whale,' Dido said testily. ‘What about Pen?'

‘Ah yes. Dear Tribulation writes with true sisterly feeling, having just heard of my poor wife's death. She will move to Nantucket and look after Dutiful Penitence and the house for me.'

‘But, blame it!' Dido said in exasperation. ‘Pen don't
want
to live with her Auntie Tribulation! On account of summat her ma said she's scared to death of the notion; it won't answer at
all
! Can't you get that into your seaweedy noddle?'

‘She suggests further,' Captain Casket went on, dreamily looking out over the water and ignoring Dido, ‘that a companion, some other girl of her age, would be an advantage for Penitence, since my farm, Soul's Hill, is situated in a somewhat lonely location. So if thee will accept the charge, my child, not for very long, of course, that will solve all our problems, will it not? Thy quick wit will soon smooth over any little difficulties between my daughter and her good aunt. And when Penitence is settled and happy, my sister Tribulation will no doubt see that thee is found a passage to England. Remember, too, that we rescued thee from the sea, my child, and that thee owes us a debt of gratitude.'