Cornwall (England : County) -- Fiction; Short stories
"There's nice brotherly behaviour for you!" said Joby to himself.
"Lucky he left his walking-stick behind. The best thing I can do is
to steer along close to the Equator, and then I know where I am."
So he steered along close to the Line, and by and by he saw something
shining in the distance. When he came nearer, 'twas a great gilt
fowl stuck there with its beak to the Line and its wings sprawled
out. And when he came close, 'twas no other than the cock belonging
to the tower of his own parish church of Wendron!
"Well!" said Joby, "one has to travel to find out how small the world
is. And what might you be doin' here, naybour?"
"Is that you, Joby Teague? Then I'll thank you to do me a good turn.
I came here in a witch-ship last night, and the crew put this spell
upon me because I wouldn't pay my footing to cross the Line.
A nice lot, to try and steal the gilt off a church weather-cock!
'Tis ridiculous," said he, "but I can't get loose for the life o'
me!"
"Why, that's as easy as ABC," said Joby. "You'll find it in any book
of parlour amusements. You take a fowl, put its beak to the floor,
and draw a chalk line away from it, right and left--"
Joby wetted his thumb, smudged out a bit of the Equator on each side
of the cock's nose, and the bird stood up and shook himself.
"And now is there anything I can do for you, Joby Teague?"
"To be sure there is. I'm getting completely tired of this boat: and
if you can give me a lift, I'll take it as a favour."
"No favour at all. Where shall we go visit?--the Antipodes?"
"No, thank you," said Toby. "I've heard tell they get up an' do
their business when we honest folks be in our beds: and that kind o'
person I never could trust. Squint or no squint, Wendron's Wendron,
and that's where I'm comfortable."
"Well, it's no use loitering here, or we may get into trouble for
what we've done to the Equator. Climb on my back," said the bird,
"and home we go!"
It seemed no more than a flap of the wings, and Joby found himself on
his friend's back on one of the pinnacles of Wendron Church and
looking down on his own farm.
"Thankin' you kindly, soce, and now I think I'll be goin'," said he.
"Not till I've cured your eyesight, Joby," said the polite bird.
Joby by this time was wishing his eyesight to botheration; but before
he could say a word, a breeze came about the pinnacles, and he was
spinning around on the cock's back--spinning around widdershins--
clutching the bird's neck and holding his breath.
"And now," the cock said, as they came to a standstill again,
"I think you can see a hole in a ladder as well as any man."
Just then the bells in the tower below them began to ring merrily.
Said Joby, "What's that for, I wonder?"
"It looks to me," said the cock, "as if your wife was gettin' married
again."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account