The Arkmobile came to a sudden stop, and a voice outside was heard to
exclaim:
"Where's the chauffeur?"
Capt. Noah rushed up on deck, followed by his family, Mr. Jonah and
Marjorie.
"What's the matter?" asked Capt. Noah, looking about to find the owner of
the voice.
"Oh, that's what they all say!" came the reply. "You know jolly well
what's the matter!"
"Who are you, and where are you?" asked Capt. Noah, vainly trying to find
this remarkable person, who seemed to be nothing but a voice.
"Who am I? You'll find out pretty quick. Where am I? You'd better find
that out even quicker!"
Looking up to the Weathercock, Capt. Noah shouted: "Ahoy, there, Lookout!
Who's delaying us?"
"The Majesty of the Law," came the answering voice again--this time so
distinctly that every one turned in the direction from which it came, and
then a huge megaphone on the top of a post repeated: "The Majesty of the
Law!"
"Well, I'll be blowed!" exclaimed Capt. Noah.
"You have exceeded the speed limit," said the Megaphone, "and you are
fined $15!"
"Oh!" interposed Mrs. Noah. "I'm sure you must be mistaken. I'm sure we
were not exceeding it $15 worth."
"So am I!" added Mr. Jonah. "In fact, I didn't think we were exceeding
anything. We were just rolling along, don't you know, quite comfortably."
"Well, suppose I haven't the money with me?" asked Capt. Noah.
"Fifteen days in jail," answered the Megaphone.
"Mercy!" cried Mrs. Noah.
"Don't worry," whispered Capt. Noah. "I'll borrow the money from Mr.
Jonah."
Mr. Jonah was very obliging and lent the money, saying he had had no
chance to spend a cent while he was aboard the whale.
"Now, where shall I put the money?" asked Capt. Noah.
"In the little box back of me," replied the Megaphone. And as soon as the
money was dropped in the Megaphone shouted: "The prisoner is discharged!"
"Prisoner!" shouted Capt. Noah, as mad as a hornet. "How dare you call me
a prisoner!"
But before he had time to say another word the Arkmobile started off and
the Megaphone was left behind.
"Jehosaphat!" exclaimed Capt. Noah, wiping the perspiration from his
forehead with his red bordered handkerchief. "Bad enough to be robbed of
$15, but to be called a 'prisoner'--well, that does make me angry."
"Never mind, my dear," said Mrs. Noah, soothingly. "All's well that ends
well. Just think, if we hadn't been able to borrow that $15, we'd have
spent fifteen days in jail!"
And then, all of a sudden the Weathercock shouted: "Everybody in the
cabin! Water dead ahead!"
My goodness me! you should have seen the animals pull their heads in
through the portholes. Poor Mrs. Giraffe didn't get hers inside in time
and her bonnet got soaking wet, for as soon as the Ark struck the water
the spray flew here and there and everywhere and the deck was flooded
ankle deep.
But the Ark was a sturdy craft, and as soon as it once more felt the ocean
beneath it, rode the waves as gracefully as a swan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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