The Wonderful Bed Read online

  CHAPTER VII

  CATNIP ISLAND

  Little cats, big cats, black, white, gray, yellow, striped, spotted,Maltese, tortoise-shell, calico, and tiger cats! Cats of all sizes andall kinds, cats of all ages, from tiny furry babies wheeled inperambulators by their mamas to gray old grandpas hobbling along bythe aid of canes or crutches--all the cats of Catnip Island hadtrooped down to the shore to watch the landing of the _Merry Mouser_.Captain Mittens, decked out in the False Hare's jewelry, was the firstto leave the pirate ship. He stepped along jauntily, nose in the airand the haughtiest kind of expression on his whiskered face. After himcame Growler leading Rudolf, then Prowler with Ann, then the Maltesepirate with Peter by the hand. The spotted sailors brought up therear, all but two who had been left to guard the ship. As soon as theshore cats saw that their Chief had brought home three prisoners fromhis cruise, they set up a great yowl of joy, and began to dance,prancing and bounding in the air and whirling round and round upontheir hind legs.

  Captain Mittens was the first to leave the pirateship.]

  "Oh, my eye!" exclaimed Rudolf, quite forgetting where he was andstanding still to watch their antics. "Don't I wish I had myslingshot!"

  "Hush! Silence--'nless ye want to be skinned!" It was the voice ofProwler just behind him.

  "If you think I'm afraid of a lot of silly cats--" began Rudolf, buthis voice was drowned by the angry yowls that burst from a hundredfurry throats as the islanders pressed closer and closer.

  "Oh, Rudolf, do be quiet!" Ann begged, and Rudolf, remembering that hewas not only a long way from his sling shot, but that even his swordhad been taken away from him, was obliged to submit. By this time thepirates had cleared a way through the crowd and the procession leftthe beach and entered the pussy-willow grove which Rudolf haddescribed from the deck of the _Merry Mouser_. Half hidden among thetrees were a number of pretty little houses, each with a neat dooryard and a high back fence. Each had its name, too, on a small doorplate, and it amused Ann and Peter to spell out as they wentalong--"Furryfield," "Mousetail Manor," "Kitten-cote," etc.

  "Oh, look," Ann whispered, "see the darling, little, front doors,Peter! Just like the cat-hole in Aunt Jane's big door. The chimneysare shaped something like ears and the roofs are all covered withfur!"

  "Yes," answered Peter, "and they've got little gardens to 'em, Ann. Iguess that must be the catnip we smell so strong. I don't see any flowers,though, only big tall weeds, rows and rows of 'em--milkweed--that's whatit is! What do you suppose they planted that for?"

  Prowler, who was walking just ahead of Peter, overheard this lastremark, and turning, fixed his large, round, yellow eyes on the littleboy. "Don't you like milk, young man?" he asked.

  "Why, yes," said Peter, very puzzled, "but not _that_ kind, you know."

  "Well, milk's milk these hard times," said Prowler, wagging his head."It don't do to be too particerler. You like mice, don't you?" hecontinued.

  "Why, _I_ like candy mice," said Peter grinning, "but I never knewbefore that cats did!"

  "Sh-sh!" Poor Prowler began to tremble all over and look anxiouslyabout him. "Not a word of that," he murmured, "or I'm a dead cat! Youkeep mum about that little affair, young'un, and I'll do you a goodturn yet, see if I don't!"

  "All right; don't you forget!" whispered Peter.

  The procession was now approaching a house considerably larger thanany of the others and which had "The Pirattery" written in largeletters over its door. Mittens led the way inside, the mates with thechildren and all the other pirates followed, together with as many ofthe island cats as could squeeze themselves in. The Pirattery, so thechildren were informed by Growler and Prowler, was an assembly hall orgeneral meeting-place for the pirates when on shore. Its floor andthe little platform at one end were strewn with rat-skin rugs of thefinest quality, and its walls were adorned with handsomely stuffed andmounted mouse and fish heads, snake skins, and other trophies of thechase.

  Mittens now took up his position on the platform and began a long andeloquent speech in which he related the story of the capture of hisprisoners, making the most absurd boasts of the terrible risks he hadrun, and dwelling most particularly on the awful fate of the FalseHare--while quite forgetting to mention his escape. This speech wasinterrupted by tremendous cheers from the island cats which were onlyfaintly joined in by the pirates. Mittens finished by saying that aconcert in celebration of the victory would now be given, after whichthere would be refreshments--Peter pricked up his ears at the word!--and then the plunder taken from the prisoners would be distributedamong the officers and crew of the _Merry Mouser_. This lastannouncement was greeted by a volley of shrill and joyful yowls fromthe younger cat pirates, but Growler, frowning, whispered in Rudolf'sear:

  "Don't you believe a word of that, about whacking up on the treasure!He'll never give up so much as a single shirt stud, he won't."

  "I would 'a' liked them pink pajamas, I would," sighed Prowler."They'd just suit my dark complexion."

  "I can't understand," said Ann, "what it is that has made such achange in Mittens! Why, just yesterday when we got to Aunt Jane's hewas asleep before the fire with a little red bow on his collar--justas soft and nice as anything, and he let us all take turns holdinghim!"

  "He never scratched really _deep_ all day," said Peter mournfully,"only when we dressed him up in the doll's clothes--he didn't seem to'preciate that--an'--an' when I pulled his tail--he didn't _like_that, neither."

  "He's a bad old thief, that's what he is!" exclaimed Rudolf,forgetting in his excitement to lower his voice. "And if we ever getback to Aunt Jane's and he's there, _I'll_ fix him--"

  A general warning hiss went up from the pirate cats who stood nearestto the children. "Be quiet," muttered Growler, "unless you want yourears bitten off? Don't you see the Chief is going to sing?"

  Mittens had stepped to the front of the platform and was fixing anangry scowl upon the three children who stood between Growler andProwler directly beneath him. When all was so quiet in the hall youcould have heard a pin drop, the Chief cleared his throat and noddedto the Maltese pirate who stood ready to accompany him upon thetambourine. In the background a semicircle of other singers clutchedtheir music and shuffled their feet rather nervously as they waited tocome in at the chorus.

  Mittens sang in a high plaintive voice:

  "When I was young, you know, Not very long ago, I was a mild, a happy Pussy-cat! My fur was soft as silk, I lived on bread and milk, And I dozed away my days upon the mat!"

  _Chorus_

  ("He was then a happy, happy Pussy-cat!")

  "I really blush to say How idly I would play With my tail or silly spool upon the floor-- Till one unlucky day Three children came to stay-- After that I wasn't happy any more."

  _Chorus_

  ("No, _indeed_, he wasn't happy any more!")

  "They drove me nearly wild, My temper, once so mild, They spoiled--the truth of that you'll say is plain-- So I ran away to sea-- 'Tis a pirate's life for me, And I'll never be a Pussy-cat again!"

  _Chorus_

  ("No, _he'll_ never be a Pussy-cat again!")

  You may be sure that Rudolf and Ann did not join in the burst ofapplause which greeted the end of Captain Mittens' song. Peter wouldhave been glad to, for he was too young and foolish to understand howreally impertinent Mittens had been, but his brother and sisterquickly stopped that. As for Growler and Prowler, they merely yawned,as if they had heard this song more than once before, only faintlyclapping their paws together in order not to attract the tyrant'sattention to themselves. The next piece on the program, so Mittensannounced, would be a duet between himself and Miss Tabitha Tortoise,entitled _Moonbeams on the Back Fence_. This selection proved so verynoisy, so full of quavers, trills, and loud and piercing yowls, thatthe children decided it would be safe to attempt a littleconversation.

  "Oh, Rudolf," whispered Ann, "how shall we ever get away from
here?"

  "Don't want to get away," grumbled Peter. "We're going to haverefreshments; Mittens said so."

  "Nonsense; you'll have to go if we do," answered Rudolf. "But listen,what are the mates saying?"

  The two black cat pirates were conversing excitedly under cover of themusic, and presently the children heard what Prowler was whisperingto Growler: "Look here, Matey, where's the rest of the swag, the suitcase and _his_ sword, you know?"

  "On board ship, stowed away in Cap'n's cabin," answered Growler. "Youdon't mean to--"

  "Yes, I do--I'm no 'fraid-cat--I mean to have them pink pajamas, or--"

  "And where do _I_ come in, eh?" exclaimed Growler indignantly.

  "Oh, you can have the shirts and collars, Matey. Share and sharealike, you know. We'll just slip off to the ship, and--"

  "And take us with you," broke in Rudolf. "Do!"

  "You know you promised to do us a good turn," whispered Ann. "And ifyou don't take us we'll tell, and we'll tell about what happened tothe white mice, too--"

  "And while you're about it," went on Rudolf, "you'd better takepossession of the vessel. Between us we can easily manage those oldspotties that were left on board. Then, don't you see, when youfellows are masters of the _Merry Mouser_, you'll have Mittens in yourpower and you can make him whack up on all the treasure!"

  At this brilliant suggestion the two mates gave a smothered cheer,gazing at each other with their round yellow eyes full of joy andtheir whiskered mouths grinning so widely that the children could seetheir little red tongues and all their sharp white teeth.

  "But how shall we get away without being seen?" Ann asked.

  "Oh, that'll be all right," said Prowler, looking about him nervously."Just wait till you hear 'em announce the refreshments--that alwaysmeans a rush, you know. Then slip through the crowd and out by thatdoor behind the curtain, and hustle down to the ship just as fast asever you can lay your paws to the ground!"

  Prowler had hardly finished speaking before, with a final long-drawnpiercing yowl, the duet of the Pirate Chief and Miss Tabitha Tortoisecame to an end, and an intermission of ten minutes for refreshmentswas announced. From an inner room at the back of the hall a dozen orso white cats in caps and aprons trotted forth bearing large traysloaded with very curious-looking cat-eatables.

  Rudolf and Ann had now their usual trouble with Peter who at firstabsolutely refused to budge until he had tasted at least "one ofeach". When at last he was made to understand that the trays aroundwhich the cats were so greedily thronging contained nothing moreinviting than roasted rats and pickled fish fins, and that thesedelicacies would probably not be offered to prisoners anyway, heregretfully allowed himself to be pushed through a door at the side ofthe hall and hurried off in the direction of the shore. Although thechildren, followed closely by the two mates, had managed to slip awayalmost unnoticed in the general excitement, yet they knew their escapemust soon be discovered and they ran as fast as ever they could go.

  At last they reached the wharf and scrambled up the side of the _MerryMouser_, expecting each instant to receive some kind of challenge fromthe two spotted cats on guard. Much to their surprise they receivednone. This was soon explained, for the two common sailors were foundin the cabin, curled up in the Captain's bunk, fast asleep.

  "A nice mess they'd be in if the Chief caught 'em!" cried Growler.

  Prowler said nothing, but winked at his friend, and taking a piece ofstrong string from his pocket, he bound the poor spotted cats' eightpaws all in a bunch together and left them to continue their nap. Thislittle matter attended to, all hands now turned their attention toraising the sail, and by the time the advance-guard of cat piratescame rushing down through the pussy-willow grove in their pursuit, the_Merry Mouser_, borne along by a breeze that was something more than acatspaw, was fast leaving the shores of Catnip Island behind her.