"Well, then, I'll go myself," said Harry, good-naturedly, and he jumped down from the wall to the narrow strip of sand that ran along the water's edge, and soon filled his pockets with small round stones. Then he scrambled up again, and, taking off the cover of the hatchway, — which is a square hole in the deck of a ship where they put down the cargo, he poured the stones into the hold, and smoothed them very even on all sides. The hatchway was just large enough for his hand to enter. Then some little chips of wood were laid over the stones, and next the poor old wooden horse was poked in. He gave them a good deal of trouble in consequence of his one leg having no joint at the knee; as it was, his tail broke short off; at seeing which, little tender Marie uttered a piteous "O-h!" and the boys burst out laughing, but the poor horse never said a word. Perhaps his having only half a head may account for this. The barrels followed, and after these the ginger snaps were stuck round helter-skelter, wherever a place could be found, and then the Little Starlight was laden to her fullest capacity. As for Shem, Ham, and Japhet, they were set up on deck by way of a crew, and aired their round buttons of heads there with great dignity and grandeur. With a merry cheer the boys leaped down upon the sand, and helped Marie after them. The darling ship with her sails all set, and the rudder tied fast to keep her in a straight course, was gently placed in the water, Harry holding her fast by the streamer. With flushing cheeks and eyes growing deeper and bigger, the little company were quite silent for half a moment, then Pinkie said, "Now, Marie." "Must n't she pray a prayer?" asked Major Brown, who had seen a christening in church. 66 Why, NO!" almost shouted Pinkie; "children can only pray prayers morning and night. Papa told her what to do "; and once more he said, "Now, Marie.” Then the little girl raised the tiny bottle high above her head, and cried out in her sweet, singing voice, "Little Starlight, I christen you,” and dashed it on the deck. It shivered into a thousand fragments, greatly astonishing Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and the currant wine gushed over the bows. Harry let go the streamer; the gentle summer breeze swelled the tiny sails, and floated the little ship from the shore, and with a long, loud, ringing cheer the Little Starlight was fairly off on her first voyage. Truly it was a lovely sight, the four children watching with eager eyes their dainty craft, the long golden rays of the sun slanting over the velvet grass, on the white frock of little Marie, and touching into ruddy chestnut and gold the waving curls of her brothers. Harry's great blue eyes were lit with the sweet inward smile that seems born of perfect happiness; and Marie curled her white arms round his neck, and whispered, "O Harry, is n't our ship a real kitten darling?" As for Major Brown, he only hugged Pepper, right side up this time, and sucked his tongue without saying a word. But you need n't suppose they were going to be still very long on such a joyful occasion, for all of a sudden the Major gave his poor sucked tongue a holiday by opening his mouth and uttering a tremendous "HOO-RAY!" and in an instant all four were shouting, laughing, dancing, and clapping their hands. O what fun! "HOO-RAY!" they all cried; "three cheers for the Little Starlight!" Away she sailed, making cunning little ripples in the water, and what Major Brown called soapsuds round her bows; her streamer flying out in gentle curves, and Shem, Ham, and Japhet standing up stiff and straight, gazing at the scenery with solemn faces. Then Pinkie all at once exclaimed: "Come, fellows, we must walk along the top of the wall, and watch the ship, or perhaps she will drive against the-the-what-u-call-'ems, and get wrecked and lost." "O dear, no! no! I don't want the Little Starlight to get lost!" cried Marie; "please, Pinkie, don't let her go against the-the-what did you say?" "Well, but you know ships always have some dreadful adventures," put in Harry; “and then it's such fun to be lost on an uninhabited island, and catch oranges and eat monkeys, — no, I mean eat oranges, and catch monkeys; and then there's guava jelly, you know, and poll parrots, — splendid! and caves and savages, and all sorts of jolly things." 66 Suppose we play that the Little Starlight is going on a voyage to New Orleans," said Pinkie. "Well," answered Harry, "we will; where shall New Orleans be?” "O, at the roots of the big willow-tree," answered Pinkie. "But how can you make her stop there?" asked Marie. 66 'Why, I shall pull her in with a long willow switch." "O-h!" said Marie. While this conversation was going on, the children were walking along on the top of the wall in Indian file, Pepper following, with his tail bolt upright in the air. To be sure, they might just as well have walked on the grass, but that would n't have been half the fun. Meanwhile the Little Starlight sailed away famously, dipping gracefully to the curling ripples; her streamer floating at the mast-head, and Shem, Ham, and Japhet still industriously admiring the prospect from the deck, as fine as you please. "I know a piece of poetry about a ship sailing on her first voyage.” "Tell it," cried Harry, catching at the drooping bough of a willow, and swinging himself along. So Pinkie began, "The Sailing of the Princess,' — but I mean to call it the 'Starlight,' would n't you?” 66 Of course," said the others, and Pinkie, looking straight up in the air, as if the poetry was written in the sky, went on : — "We watched her fondly day by day, As slowly from the stocks she rose, The fairy ship in the harbor. Hurrah! hurrah! our labor's o'er! "The anchor's weighed, the sails are taut, Yet still-Hurrah! one loud cheer more! "The sea is calm, the wind is fair, Our flag floats proudly at her stern; Our friends on board; we breathe a prayer 'God keep them till her safe return!' Then loud we cheer her o'er and o'er, As, gently gliding from the shore, The brave ship leaves the harbor! And the good ship clears the harbor !"* The children listened with deep interest to these beautiful lines, and at the end of the last verse Harry and the Major chimed in with three tremendous cheers and a "tiger!" The "tiger" scared Pepper so that he jumped off the wall, and scampered with might and main back to the house, crying, "Meou! meou! ffts! ffts! m-e-a-o-u!" at the top of his voice. But, oh! ah! dear me! while they were listening to Pinkie, they forgot to watch the Little Starlight, and, dreadful to tell, she was just entering the roughest part of the river. Several quite large stones lay there, and the stream brawled and scolded around them at a great rate. Such rapids were as dreadful and dangerous for the Little Starlight as the rapids of Niagara would be to a real ship. The poor little ship seemed to be a live thing and to danger. She struggled and turned, trembling, quivering, wave know her terrible then, as if giving up all hope, in her despair rushed headlong among the stones. A huge - huge to her— curled up, and dashed down on the doomed ship, and CRASH! she was driven over on her side, and wedged fast between two great stones. Ham, Shem, and Japhet went instantly heels up in the air, and swam off like three great cowards. Perhaps, being made of wood, they could n't help swimming, or at least floating, when they were so unexpectedly upset into the water, — anyhow we 'll be good-hearted enough to think so; but the poor Little Starlight was left without a crew, and in great danger of becoming a total wreck, sure enough. “Oh! oh! oh! what shall we do?" cried all the children, with clasped hands, and eyes nearly starting out of their heads. Then Marie pinched • Tennyson. Harry's arm nearly black and blue in her terror and distress, while Major Brown threw himself flat on his stomach, on the stone wall, and began to cry. "I tell you! One of us must wade out and save her," exclaimed Harry ; "and I've a great mind to do it this very minute." "O Harry, you must n't!" cried Marie, clinging to him. "You will be drowned!" "Boo!" retorted Harry; "that river is n't deep enough to drown a mouse!" "But the current is very rapid there, Harry," said Pinkie. "You had better look out, old fellow. Papa won't like it if you get a ducking." No frightening Master Harry, however! His balmorals and stockings were already off; his knickerbockers were rolled up as high as he could get them. The delight of paddling about in the stream, added to the desire of rescuing the little ship, were too much for mortal boy to resist. But the adventurous young monkey had undertaken a feat rather more dangerous than he imagined. Such a wide, shallow river, with a rough, pebbly bed, and swirling mid-rapids, does not offer the most secure footing in the world; and so Harry found as he floundered along, and presently was neatly capsized and tumbled down on all fours; but he dug his fingers in the sand. and scrambled up like a cat on a wall, only to go down head-first again, as the current dashed against his legs. Once more he clawed himself up, and this time stood hard and fast for a moment,—just long enough to make a grab at the Little Starlight, and stagger breathless out of the rapids, holding the ship triumphantly in the air. "Is she hurt?" shouted Pinkie, dancing up and down in violent agitation. "Not the least speck," hailed back Harry; "only Shem, Ham, and Japhet must be drowned, for I don't see them anywhere.” "Fiddle! never mind them," answered Pinkie. "But it's my Nooer's Ork," whimpered Major Brown. The dear little fellow meant his "Noah's Ark," and it was dreadful to think that the beasts and birds would have nobody to take care of them; the spider would insist on marching in procession side by side with the elephant, instead of bringing up the rear, as it ought. It could n't be helped, however, and Ned consoled himself as well as he could, and soon forgot to grieve for the luckless navigators, especially as Harry threw his arm round his brother's neck with a kind, "Never mind, Major, you shall have my new peg-top to make up," which was such an enchanting promise that the little fellow had to hug and kiss Harry, and say, 66 Thank you, you good old boy! I love you bester than any one!" Then Harry put on his stockings and boots, and said his clothes would dry first-rate in the sun, and the children concluded to carry the Little Starlight farther on to a smoother part of the river. They were soon past the rapids, and Harry once more started the precious vessel on her course. When she was fairly under way, he scrambled up on top of the wall like a grasshopper, and they all rushed like the wind down to the big willow-tree, which was quite at the end of the lawn. The great gnarled roots spread out high above the ground, and made comfortable seats from which to watch the Little Starlight floating smoothly down the stream. While they waited, they chattered away about various things, when all at once Harry exclaimed, "There now! did I ever tell you what a dreadful fright I had last winter, when mother and I were down at Aunt Sally's?" "Why, no," said Pinkie; "let's hear about it, old fellow." 66 "Well," began Harry, twitching up his knickerbockers, which were still quite wet, well, you know mother thought I had better go to school while we stayed, for fear Aunt Sally would go crazy with my noise; and so to school I went,―mad enough, I can tell you. Of course you know I could n't have learned a single thing without chewing india-rubber, of course not. Well, one day I was munching away at the india-rubber as hard as ever I could, and studying that plaguy eight times in the multiplication table, when, all at once, bang.! went the master's ruler on his desk. I gave such a jump! and down went the india-rubber like a flash of lightning! That was n't the worst, either; for Cousin Will told me if I swallowed india-rubber it was certain death; so just fancy how I felt!" Here Harry opened his blue eyes very wide, and stared solemnly at the company. "O, but you did n't die,—did you, Harry?" cried Marie, looking quite frightened. |
