"I am ever so much obliged to you, Mr. Bajorum," he said. "I enjoyed the battle so much and thank you for inviting me to the tea party. I have enjoyed myself so much that I am rather sleepy. Would you be so kind as to oblige us by letting us get into the boat and go back to the cave to bed?"
Baboo Bajorum patted him again and shook hands with him and was most polite. In fact, everybody was so polite and made so many bows—even the Impolite Pirates—that it took some time to get the boat launched. But at last it was on the water and everybody got safely down the ladder, and the Polite Pirates took their seats and began to row towards the shore and those who stayed on the ship raised a delightful cheer.
Barty sat close to the Good Wolf and laid his head against his furry neck. The sky looked dark blue and the water looked dark blue and the stars in the sky looked as if they were shining in the water, and Barty was so happy and drowsy that he could scarcely tell which was sea and which was sky.
When they reached the white beach the Polite Pirate Captain picked Barty up in his arms and carried him up the queer slope, and instead of crawling through the hole he carried him round the ledge and lifted him in through the window.
The moon was shining in on the sparkling white sand of the cave floor and it shone in on the soft, heaped up bed of leaves which looked delightful. Barty stood in the moonlight and rubbed his eyes.
"Thank you," he said to the Polite Pirate Captain. "There never was anything like you in Robinson Crusoe."
"Who was Robinson Crusoe?" asked the Captain, leaning on the window ledge.
"He was in a book," answered Barty. "It was a very nice book, but this is nicer," and he rubbed his eyes harder than ever.
Just then the Good Wolf came in through the passage. Blue Crest was on his back and Man Saturday came after.
The Polite Pirate Captain took his hat off with a grand flourish.