“What a disagreeable bird,” whispered Marjorie, when they had gone some little distance.
“Wretch!” declared the Dodo, rubbing his back.
“For two pins I’d wring his neck,” muttered Dick, angrily.
“Much obliged, I’m sure,” said a mocking voice overhead, and there was that wretched parrot, looking down from one of the upper branches.
“Listeners never hear any good of themselves,” remarked the Dodo.
“Pooh!—as though I cared what you thought about me,” said the parrot. “Why, if I liked, I could—oh!” he cried, looking off to the left, “the Skipper,” and, spreading his wings, he flew rapidly away with every sign of alarm.
The children followed his glance, and saw coming towards them a very stout, very jolly-looking sailor, with a red, hearty face and a jovial smile. To their great surprise, they saw that he was using a skipping-rope, and skipping towards them, smiling good-naturedly.
“Thank goodness, here’s a man at last,” said Dick. “Now we shall be able to find out something as to where we are, and how we are to get home again.”
“Ship ahoy!” called out the sailor, when he first saw them.