The Cap’n took a cutlass from the chest and balanced it upon his nose as easily as he had poised the coin there.
“See here, young ’un,” he said suddenly. “You’re old enough to start learning magic.”
A golden mist swam before Lemmy’s eyes.
“You—you mean to learn to be a majishun?”
“A sort of A-B-C magician, yes. Here, take this!” He thrust into Lemmy’s hand a carved ebony ring. “I’ll show you how to make it disappear.”
Very patiently, the Cap’n initiated Lemmy into the rudiments of magic, teaching him how to exhibit with a flourish before imaginary spectators, then with an adroit pass to make it disappear until he chose by a swift movement to hold it once more in full view between his thumb and finger. The mastery of the old trick, dependent only upon a little dexterity in sleight-of-hand, filled Lemmy with enormous pride. He glowed with delight at the Cap’n’s applause, mingled with the easily imagined handclapping from the invisible audience. He was lifted far, far away from commonplace things. He was a novitiate in a new world of unending mystery and delight. He tried to say “thank you” to the Cap’n, but his gratitude overwhelmed him. He could only press the ring back reverently into the Cap’n’s hand. There were no words for a thing such as this.
Then came a noise at the door. At the Cap’n’s bidding in walked a burly fellow as big as the Cap’n himself.
“Look at the young ’un, Andy McDonald—he’s off with us tonight,” the Cap’n informed him.
“Bless my soul,” Andy McDonald exclaimed, tousling Lemmy’s hair, “the Northern Star’s in luck.”
“Now Andy’ll find you a proper place for Nippy and I’ll be off on a bit of business before we set out.” The Cap’n left him with Andy McDonald, who knew exactly where to catch flies for Nippy and where to get pebbles to his liking and where to find just the sort of safe, dampish corner where he could voyage happily. And McDonald was very ingenious at devising quarters which would give Nippy plenty of room and yet keep him in bounds.