Casey.
“There’s something else. Something shining, and gleaming, and winking. It might be treasure, but it’s getting too dark to see.” He looked at Alwyn and shook his head. “Poor boy! So young to be fed to the Phantom Drummer.…”
“That’s not fair,” said Lizzie. “Alwyn saved us from being trapped in your black box.”
“I told you I’d try to save him. Look how dark it is! We’d better hang a lantern on the cowshed, to show Aunt Effie the way home, then it’s time you were all off to bed.”
We climbed into our hammocks. Alwyn took ages to put on his pyjamas and climb into his.
“Tell us a story?” the little ones asked Uncle Chris. “Or we won’t go to sleep.”
“One about lions and tigers?” asked Jessie.
“One about why Mr Firth built the Tower?” asked Lizzie.
“Once upon a time,” said Uncle Chris, “lions and tigers ran wild around Matamata. Along came Mr J.C. Firth.
“‘Ooh, look!’ said the lions and tigers. ‘A human! I wonder what he tastes like?’
“But Mr Firth ran away. ‘Come back!’ the lions and tigersroared. ‘We just want to be friends.’
“But Mr Firth ran up the hill and built his Tower. He pulled his ladder up through the door and locked himself inside. And he put battlements round the top so he could fire cannons, and loopholes in the walls so he could fire arrows.
“The lions and tigers surrounded the Tower. ‘Please Mrs Firth,’ they called as if his mother was there, ‘can Mr Firth come out and play?’
“The lions and tigers rolled on their backs and smiled and held up their paws to show what good friends they would be. But Mr Firth looked down from the top of the Tower and saw their sharp teeth and hidden claws.
“‘Stick your paws through the loopholes, so I can shake hands with you and be friends for ever,’ he said.
“The lions and tigers grinned at each other. They jumped up the walls and stuck their paws through the loopholes. When they felt Mr Firth shaking hands with them, they roared and stuck out their claws. But Mr Firth had lassoed their paws together so the lions and tigers couldn’t pull them back through the loopholes. They were stuck!
“Mr Firth shoved his ladder out the door, climbed to the ground, and went around pulling the lions’ and tigers’ tails that hung down the walls. ‘How do you do?’ he said. ‘How do you do? And how do you do again?’ When the lions and tigers roared, Mr Firth pulled their tails once more and said, ‘Listen to the bells in the Tower ring!’”
Uncle Chris opened his mouth and roared. And the little ones opened their mouths and roared back. He showed his terrible white teeth and tapped them, and the little ones showed their terrible white teeth and tapped them back at Uncle Chris.
“Mr Firth sold the lions and tigers to Banana Bob who nailed them inside banana crates, put them on the back of his Model T, took them up to the Matamata A. and P. Show at the racecourse, and sold them to his friend, the Sideshow Man.
“People paid to see the lions and tigers being fed. The Sideshow Man made so much money, he bought the Fire-Eater, the Tattooed Man, and the Fat Lady.
“And with the money he got for selling the lions and tigers, Mr Firth bought wheat seed and planted the Matamata Estate and bought a steamer, the Kotuku, and cleared the Waihou River.”
“Poor lions,” said Lizzie.
“Poor tigers,” said Jessie.
“What do they give them to eat?” asked Jared.
“Cheeky boys,” said Uncle Chris.
“Poor Alwyn,” said a little voice from Alwyn’s hammock.
Later that night we woke to a scream. “He’s coming to get me! Banana Bob’s coming to drag me out of my hammock by my tongue! And he’s going to nail me into a banana crate on the back of his old Model T lorry and take me to the A. and P. Show at the Matamata racecourse tomorrow morning and sell me to the Sideshow Man!”
But Peter and Marie got up and made Alwyn a cup of cocoa and told him they
“There’s something else. Something shining, and gleaming, and winking. It might be treasure, but it’s getting too dark to see.” He looked at Alwyn and shook his head. “Poor boy! So young to be fed to the Phantom Drummer.…”
“That’s not fair,” said Lizzie. “Alwyn saved us from being trapped in your black box.”
“I told you I’d try to save him. Look how dark it is! We’d better hang a lantern on the cowshed, to show Aunt Effie the way home, then it’s time you were all off to bed.”
We climbed into our hammocks. Alwyn took ages to put on his pyjamas and climb into his.
“Tell us a story?” the little ones asked Uncle Chris. “Or we won’t go to sleep.”
“One about lions and tigers?” asked Jessie.
“One about why Mr Firth built the Tower?” asked Lizzie.
“Once upon a time,” said Uncle Chris, “lions and tigers ran wild around Matamata. Along came Mr J.C. Firth.
“‘Ooh, look!’ said the lions and tigers. ‘A human! I wonder what he tastes like?’
“But Mr Firth ran away. ‘Come back!’ the lions and tigersroared. ‘We just want to be friends.’
“But Mr Firth ran up the hill and built his Tower. He pulled his ladder up through the door and locked himself inside. And he put battlements round the top so he could fire cannons, and loopholes in the walls so he could fire arrows.
“The lions and tigers surrounded the Tower. ‘Please Mrs Firth,’ they called as if his mother was there, ‘can Mr Firth come out and play?’
“The lions and tigers rolled on their backs and smiled and held up their paws to show what good friends they would be. But Mr Firth looked down from the top of the Tower and saw their sharp teeth and hidden claws.
“‘Stick your paws through the loopholes, so I can shake hands with you and be friends for ever,’ he said.
“The lions and tigers grinned at each other. They jumped up the walls and stuck their paws through the loopholes. When they felt Mr Firth shaking hands with them, they roared and stuck out their claws. But Mr Firth had lassoed their paws together so the lions and tigers couldn’t pull them back through the loopholes. They were stuck!
“Mr Firth shoved his ladder out the door, climbed to the ground, and went around pulling the lions’ and tigers’ tails that hung down the walls. ‘How do you do?’ he said. ‘How do you do? And how do you do again?’ When the lions and tigers roared, Mr Firth pulled their tails once more and said, ‘Listen to the bells in the Tower ring!’”
Uncle Chris opened his mouth and roared. And the little ones opened their mouths and roared back. He showed his terrible white teeth and tapped them, and the little ones showed their terrible white teeth and tapped them back at Uncle Chris.
“Mr Firth sold the lions and tigers to Banana Bob who nailed them inside banana crates, put them on the back of his Model T, took them up to the Matamata A. and P. Show at the racecourse, and sold them to his friend, the Sideshow Man.
“People paid to see the lions and tigers being fed. The Sideshow Man made so much money, he bought the Fire-Eater, the Tattooed Man, and the Fat Lady.
“And with the money he got for selling the lions and tigers, Mr Firth bought wheat seed and planted the Matamata Estate and bought a steamer, the Kotuku, and cleared the Waihou River.”
“Poor lions,” said Lizzie.
“Poor tigers,” said Jessie.
“What do they give them to eat?” asked Jared.
“Cheeky boys,” said Uncle Chris.
“Poor Alwyn,” said a little voice from Alwyn’s hammock.
Later that night we woke to a scream. “He’s coming to get me! Banana Bob’s coming to drag me out of my hammock by my tongue! And he’s going to nail me into a banana crate on the back of his old Model T lorry and take me to the A. and P. Show at the Matamata racecourse tomorrow morning and sell me to the Sideshow Man!”
But Peter and Marie got up and made Alwyn a cup of cocoa and told him they
Similar Books
