“Oh, but I thought—”
“You were going to see Arabian Night’s wonders, eh? Well, you will not, my lad. Of course there are parts of foreign countries that are glorious. I thought Sydney harbour a paradise when I first saw it; but then I had been four months at sea, and the weather horrible. Hallo! here’s an old friend. He always disappears when the weather’s bad, and buries himself somewhere. I think he gets down among the stores. Mind your dog!”
Mark caught Bruff by the collar, for he was moving slowly off to meet Billy Widgeon, who was coming along the deck in company with a large monkey of a dingy brownish-black. The sailor was holding it by one hand, and the animal was making a pretence of walking erect, but in a very awkward shuffling manner, while its quick eyes were watching the dog.
“I’ve brought the captain to see you, Mr Mark, sir,” said Billy grinning. “He hasn’t been well, and only come out of his berth this morning. Here, Jack, shake hands with the gent.”
“Chick, chicker—chack, chack,” cried the monkey; and turning sharply, he gave Billy’s detaining hand a nip with his teeth, sharply enough to make the man utter an exclamation and let go, when the monkey leaped on to the bulwark, seized a rope, and went up it hand over hand in a quadrumanous manner to a height that he considered safe, and there held on and hung, looking down at the dog, chattering volubly the while.
“He don’t like the looks on him, sir,” said Billy grinning. “I told him he was a nipper. I say, look at ’em. Haw! haw!”
The scene was curious, for as soon as Bruff was set at liberty he stared up at the monkey and began walking round and round, while after carefully lifting its tail with one hand, as if in dread that it might be seized, an act which would have required a ten-feet jump, the monkey went on chattering loudly as if scolding the dog for being there.
“What would be the consequences if we fetched the monkey down?” said the second-mate, laughing and watching the two animals.
“Bruff would kill him,” said Mark decidedly.
“He would have to catch him first, and the monkey is wonderfully strong. But we must have no fighting. Let’s see if we can’t make them friends. Can you manage your dog?”