Peck's Bad Boy in an airship

by George W. Peck

We almost lost a tame lioness. Pa wanted to show the men what power he had over the animal kingdom and he induced the manager to turn Carrie Nation, the big lioness, loose on deck, while Pa put on his auto goggles and scared her. Gee, but I thought I was an orphan for sure. The boys had trained that lioness to be a retriever, like a water spaniel, and on every trip some of the boys would jump overboard when there was no sea on and let Carrie jump over the rail and rescue them, so when they let her out she thought there was going to be a chance for her to get her regular salt water bath, and that it was expected that she would do her stunt at rescuing a human being.

When she was let out of her cage and the crowd was lined up all around the rail, and she saw Pa in the middle of the deck, on all fours, with the black goggles on, she looked around at the crowd of her friends as much as to say, “What is the joke?” but she sidled up to Pa and lashed her tail around and began to play with Pa as a kitten would play with a ball of yarn.

She put her paw on Pa and rolled him over, and when Pa got right side up and crawled towards her looking fierce, she side stepped and cuffed him on the jaw and everybody laughed except Pa.

Then Pa thought he would make a grandstand play and drive her back in her cage, and he started towards her real fast on his hands and knees, and gave a “honk-honk” like an auto, and we thought she was scared, but I guess she wasn’t frightened so you would notice it, for she jumped sideways and got around behind Pa, and I said, “Sick him, Carrie,” and by gosh she grabbed Pa by the slack of his pants and made a rush for the railing, and before I could grab her by the tail she jumped right overboard with Pa in her mouth, and landed kersplash in the deep blue sea, with Pa yelling to the men to take her off.

Pa Gave a “Honk, Honk” Like an Auto, But the Lion Wasn’t Frightened So You Would Notice.

We all rushed to the rail, and I began to cry, but the boys told me not to be scared, as Carrie would bring Pa to the yawl all right.

The men launched a life boat and the lioness was swimming around with Pa in her teeth, as though she was a dog with a rag doll in its mouth.

Pa was swallowing salt water and saying something that sounded like “Now I lay me,” and Carrie was trying to keep his head out of the water by lifting hard on his pants, and finally the life boat got near them and they grabbed Pa by the legs and pulled him in and he laid down in the bottom of the boat, and the lioness climbed over the side and began to shake herself, and then she licked the salt water off, and when the boat came alongside she jumped up on the deck and rolled over and turned somersaults, and then they pulled Pa on deck and when he got his sea legs on he said to the manager of the expedition and the captain of the boat, “Gentlemen, I have rescued your lion, and I claim salvage, and you can give me credit for whatever she is worth as a show animal,” and then Carrie went to her cage, and everybody patted Pa on the back and made him think he had saved a thousand-dollar lion from drowning.

Pa asked me to accompany him to our stateroom, and when the door was closed and he saw my tear-stained face, he said, “You think you are dam smart, don’t you? I heard you say sick him to that old moth-eaten lion, and now don’t you ever interfere with my plans again. I got that lion so frightened by my fierce look, and the noise I made, that she jumped overboard, and I went along to save her. Now, help me off with my clothes and rub me down, and I will go out and chase a tiger round the deck, and make it climb up into the rigging and beg to be taken down. That is the kind of a man your Pa is,” and Pa began to shuck himself, and I rubbed him down as if he was a race horse. I can see that when we come to the wild animal fields Pa is going to astonish the natives.