第14章

"And my skin would make excellent drumheads," retorted the Ork."Nevertheless, a plucked bird or a skinned Ork would be of no value to himself, so we needn't brag of our usefulness after we are dead.But for the sake of argument, friend Pessim, I'd like to know what good you would be, were you not alive?""Never mind that," said Cap'n Bill."He isn't much good as he is.""I am King of this Island, allow me to say, and you're intruding on my property," declared the little man, scowling upon them."If you don't like me --and I'm sure you don't, for no one else does -- why don't you go away and leave me to myself?""Well, the Ork can fly, but we can't," explained Trot, in answer."We don't want to stay here a bit, but I don't see how we can get away.""You can go back into the hole you came from."Cap'n Bill shook his head; Trot shuddered at the thought; the Ork laughed aloud.

"You may be King here," the creature said to Pessim, "but we intend to run this island to suit ourselves, for we are three and you are one, and the balance of power lies with us."The little man made no reply to this, although as they walked back to the shed his face wore its fiercest scowl.

Cap'n Bill gathered a lot of leaves and, assisted by Trot, prepared two nice beds in opposite corners of the shed.Pessim slept in a hammock which he swung between two trees.

They required no dishes, as all their food consisted of fruits and nuts picked from the trees; they made no fire, for the weather was warm and there was nothing to cook;the shed had no furniture other than the rude stool which the little man was accustomed to sit upon.He called it his "throne" and they let him keep it.

So they lived upon the island for three days, and rested and ate to their hearts' content.Still, they were not at all happy in this life because of Pessim.He continually found fault with them, and all that they did, and all their surroundings.He could see nothing good or admirable in all the world and Trot soon came to understand why the little man's former neighbors had brought him to this island and left him there, all alone, so he could not annoy anyone.It was their misfortune that they had been led to this place by their adventures, for often they would have preferred the company of a wild beast to that of Pessim.

On the fourth day a happy thought came to the Ork.They had all been racking their brains for a possible way to leave the island, and discussing this or that method, without finding a plan that was practical.Cap'n Bill had said he could make a raft of the trees, big enough to float them all, but he had no tools except those two pocketknives and it was not possible to chop down tree with such small blades.

"And s'pose we got afloat on the ocean," said Trot, "where would we drift to, and how long would it take us to get there?"Cap'n Bill was forced to admit he didn't know.The Ork could fly away from the island any time it wished to, but the queer creature was loyal to his new friends and refused to leave them in such a lonely, forsaken place.

It was when Trot urged him to go, on this fourth morning, that the Ork had his happy thought.

"I will go," said he, "if you two will agree to ride upon my back.""We are too heavy; you might drop us," objected Cap'n Bill.

"Yes, you are rather heavy for a long journey,"acknowledged the Ork, "but you might eat of those lavender berries and become so small that I could carry you with ease."This quaint suggestion startled Trot and she looked gravely at the speaker while she considered it, but Cap'n Bill gave a scornful snort and asked:

"What would become of us afterward? We wouldn't be much good if we were some two or three inches high.No, Mr.

Ork, I'd rather stay here, as I am, than be a hop-o'-my-thumb somewhere else."

"Why couldn't you take some of the dark purple berries along with you, to eat after we had reached our destination?" inquired the Ork."Then you could grow big again whenever you pleased."Trot clapped her hands with delight.

"That's it!" she exclaimed."Let's do it, Cap'n Bill."The old sailor did not like the idea at first, but he thought it over carefully and the more he thought the better it seemed.

"How could you manage to carry us, if we were so small?" he asked.

"I could put you in a paper bag, and tie the bag around my neck.""But we haven't a paper bag," objected Trot.

The Ork looked at her.