CHAPTER 3
The Ork
The eyes that regarded them, as the creature stood dripping before them,were bright and mild in expression, and the queer addition to their partymade no attempt to attack them and seemed quite as surprised by themeeting as they were.
"I wonder," whispered Trot, "what it is."
"Who, me?" exclaimed the creature in a shrill, high-pitched voice. "Why,I'm an Ork."
"Oh!" said the girl. "But what is an Ork?"
"I am," he repeated, a little proudly, as he shook the water from hisfunny wings; "and if ever an Ork was glad to be out of the water andon dry land again, you can be mighty sure that I'm that especial,individual Ork!"
"Have you been in the water long?" inquired Cap'n Bill, thinking it onlypolite to show an interest in the strange creature..
"Why, this last ducking was about ten minutes, I believe, and that'sabout nine minutes and sixty seconds too long for comfort," was thereply. "But last night I was in an awful pickle, I assure you. Thewhirlpool caught me, and--"
"Oh, were you in the whirlpool, too?" asked Trot eagerly.
He gave her a glance that was somewhat reproachful.
"I believe I was mentioning the fact, young lady, when your desire totalk interrupted me," said the Ork. "I am not usually careless in myactions, but that whirlpool was so busy yesterday that I thought I'dsee what mischief it was up to. So I flew a little too near it and thesuction of the air drew me down into the depths of the ocean. Water andI are natural enemies, and it would have conquered me this time had nota bevy of pretty mermaids come to my assistance and dragged me away fromthe whirling water and far up into a cavern, where they deserted me."
"Why, that's about the same thing that happened to us," cried Trot. "Wasyour cavern like this one?"
"I haven't examined this one yet," answered the Ork; "but if they happento be alike I shudder at our fate, for the other one was a prison,with no outlet except by means of the water. I stayed there all night,however, and this morning I plunged into the pool, as far down as Icould go, and then swam as hard and as far as I could. The rocks scrapedmy back, now and then, and I barely escaped the clutches of an uglysea-monster; but by and by I came to the surface to catch my breath,and found myself here. That's the whole story, and as I see you havesomething to eat I entreat you to give me a share of it. The truth is,I'm half starved."
With these words the Ork squatted down beside them. Very reluctantlyCap'n Bill drew another biscuit from his pocket and held it out. The Orkpromptly seized it in one of its front claws and began to nibble thebiscuit in much the same manner a parrot might have done.
"We haven't much grub," said the sailor-man, "but we're willin' to shareit with a comrade in distress."
"That's right," returned the Ork, cocking its head sidewise in a cheerfulmanner, and then for a few minutes there was silence while they all ateof the biscuits. After a while Trot said:
"I've never seen or heard of an Ork before. Are there many of you?"
"We are rather few and exclusive, I believe," was the reply. "In thecountry where I was born we are the absolute rulers of all living things,from ants to elephants."
"What country is that?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"Orkland."
"Where does it lie?"
"I don't know, exactly. You see, I have a restless nature, for somereason, while all the rest of my race are quiet and contented Orks andseldom stray far from home. From childhood days I loved to fly longdistances away, although father often warned me that I would get intotrouble by so doing.
"'It's a big world, Flipper, my son,' he would say, 'and I've heard thatin parts of it live queer two-legged creatures called Men, who war uponall other living things and would have little respect for even an Ork.'
"This naturally aroused my curiosity and after I had completed myeducation and left school I decided to fly out into the world and try toget a glimpse of the creatures called Men. So I left home without sayinggood-bye, an act I shall always regret. Adventures were many, I found. Isighted men several times, but have never before been so close to themas now. Also I had to fight my way through the air, for I met giganticbirds, with fluffy feathers all over them, which attacked me fiercely.Besides, it kept me busy escaping from floating airships. In my ramblingI had lost all track of distance or direction, so that when I wanted togo home I had no idea where my country was located. I've now been tryingto find it for several months and it was during one of my flights overthe ocean that I met the whirlpool and became its victim."
Trot and Cap'n Bill listened to this recital with much interest, andfrom the friendly tone and harmless appearance of the Ork they judged hewas not likely to prove so disagreeable a companion as at first they hadfeared he might be.
The Ork sat upon its haunches much as a cat does, but used thefinger-like claws of its front legs almost as cleverly as if they werehands. Perhaps the most curious thing about the creature was its tail, orwhat ought to have been its tail. This queer arrangement of skin, bonesand muscle was shaped like the propellers used on boats and airships,having fan-like surfaces and being pivoted to its body. Cap'n Bill knewsomething of mechanics, and observing the propeller-like tail of the Orkhe said:
"I s'pose you're a pretty swift flyer?"
"Yes, indeed; the Orks are admitted to be Kings of the Air."
"Your wings don't seem to amount to much," remarked Trot.
"Well, they are not very big," admitted the Ork, waving the four hollowskins gently to and fro, "but they serve to support my body in the airwhile I speed along by means of my tail. Still, taken altogether, I'mvery handsomely formed, don't you think?"
Trot did not like to reply, but Cap'n Bill nodded gravely. "For an Ork,"said he, "you're a wonder. I've never seen one afore, but I can imagineyou're as good as any."
That seemed to please the creature and it began walking around thecavern, making its way easily up the slope. While it was gone, Trot andCap'n Bill each took another sip from the water-flask, to wash down theirbreakfast.
"Why, here's a hole--an exit--an outlet!" exclaimed the Ork from above.
"We know," said Trot. "We found it last night."
"Well, then, let's be off," continued the Ork, after sticking its headinto the black hole and sniffing once or twice. "The air seems fresh andsweet, and it can't lead us to any worse place than this."
The girl and the sailor-man got up and climbed to the side of the Ork.
"We'd about decided to explore this hole before you came," explainedCap'n Bill; "but it's a dangerous place to navigate in the dark, so waittill I light a candle."
"What is a candle?" inquired the Ork.
"You'll see in a minute," said Trot.
The old sailor drew one of the candles from his right-side pocket and thetin matchbox from his left-side pocket. When he lighted the match theOrk gave a startled jump and eyed the flame suspiciously; but Cap'n Billproceeded to light the candle and the action interested the Ork very much.
"Light," it said, somewhat nervously, "is valuable in a hole of thissort. The candle is not dangerous, I hope?"
"Sometimes it burns your fingers," answered Trot, "but that's about theworst it can do--'cept to blow out when you don't want it to."
Cap'n Bill shielded the flame with his hand and crept into the hole. Itwasn't any too big for a grown man, but after he had crawled a few feetit grew larger. Trot came close behind him and then the Ork followed.
"Seems like a reg'lar tunnel," muttered the sailor-man, who was creepingalong awkwardly because of his wooden leg. The rocks, too, hurt his knees.
For nearly half an hour the three moved slowly along the tunnel, whichmade many twists and turns and sometimes slanted downward and sometimesupward. Finally Cap'n Bill stopped short, with an exclamation ofdisappointment, and held the flickering candle far ahead to light thescene.
"What's wrong?' demanded Trot, who could see nothing because the sailor'sform completely filled the hole.
"Why, we've come to the end of our t
ravels, I guess," he replied.
"Is the hole blocked?" inquired the Ork.
"No; it's wuss nor that," replied Cap'n Bill sadly. "I'm on the edgeof a precipice. Wait a minute an' I'll move along and let you see foryourselves. Be careful, Trot, not to fall."
Then he crept forward a little and moved to one side, holding the candleso that the girl could see to follow him. The Ork came next and now allthree knelt on a narrow ledge of rock which dropped straight away andleft a huge black space which the tiny flame of the candle could notilluminate.
"H-m!" said the Ork, peering over the edge; "this doesn't look verypromising, I'll admit. But let me take your candle, and I'll fly down andsee what's below us."
"Aren't you afraid?" asked Trot.
"Certainly I'm afraid," responded the Ork. "But if we intend to escapewe can't stay on this shelf forever. So, as I notice you poor creaturescannot fly, it is my duty to explore the place for you."
Cap'n Bill handed the Ork the candle, which had now burned to about halfits length. The Ork took it in one claw rather cautiously and then tippedits body forward and slipped over the edge. They heard a queer buzzingsound, as the tail revolved, and a brisk flapping of the peculiar wings,but they were more interested just then in following with their eyes thetiny speck of light which marked the location of the candle. This lightfirst made a great circle, then dropped slowly downward and suddenly wasextinguished, leaving everything before them black as ink.
"Hi, there! How did that happen?" cried the Ork.
"It blew out, I guess," shouted Cap'n Bill. "Fetch it here."
"I can't see where you are," said the Ork.
So Cap'n Bill got out another candle and lighted it, and its flameenabled the Ork to fly back to them. It alighted on the edge and held outthe bit of candle.
"What made it stop burning?" asked the creature.
"The wind," said Trot. "You must be more careful, this time."
"What's the place like?" inquired Cap'n Bill.
"I don't know, yet; but there must be a bottom to it, so I'll try to findit."
With this the Ork started out again and this time sank downward moreslowly. Down, down, down it went, till the candle was a mere spark, andthen it headed away to the left and Trot and Cap'n Bill lost all sight ofit.
In a few minutes, however, they saw the spark of light again, and as thesailor still held the second lighted candle the Ork made straight towardthem. It was only a few yards distant when suddenly it dropped thecandle with a cry of pain and next moment alighted, fluttering wildly,upon the rocky ledge.
"What's the matter?" asked Trot.
"It bit me!" wailed the Ork. "I don't like your candles. The thing beganto disappear slowly as soon as I took it in my claw, and it grew smallerand smaller until just now it turned and bit me--a most unfriendly thingto do. Oh--oh! Ouch, what a bite!"
"That's the nature of candles, I'm sorry to say," explained Cap'n Bill,with a grin. "You have to handle 'em mighty keerful. But tell us, whatdid you find down there?"
"I found a way to continue our journey," said the Ork, nursing tenderlythe claw which had been burned. "Just below us is a great lake of blackwater, which looked so cold and wicked that it made me shudder; but awayat the left there's a big tunnel, which we can easily walk through. Idon't know where it leads to, of course, but we must follow it and findout."
"Why, we can't get to it," protested the little girl. "We can't fly, asyou do, you must remember."
"No, that's true," replied the Ork musingly.
"Your bodies are built very poorly, it seems to me, since all you can dois crawl upon the earth's surface. But you may ride upon my back, and inthat way T can promise you a safe journey to the tunnel."
"Are you strong enough to carry us?" asked Cap'n Bill, doubtfully.
"Yes, indeed; I'm strong enough to carry a dozen of you, if you couldfind a place to sit," was the reply; "but there's only room between mywings for one at a time, so I'll have to make two trips."
"All right; I'll go first," decided Cap'n Bill.
He lit another candle for Trot to hold while they were gone and to lightthe Ork on his return to her, and then the old sailor got upon the Ork'sback, where he sat with his wooden leg sticking straight out sidewise.
"If you start to fall, clasp your arms around my neck," advised thecreature.
"If I start to fall, it's good night an' pleasant dreams," said Cap'nBill.
"All ready?" asked the Ork.
"Start the buzz-tail," said Cap'n Bill, with a tremble in his voice. Butthe Ork flew away so gently that the old man never even tottered in hisseat.
Trot watched the light of Cap'n Bill's candle till it disappeared in thefar distance. She didn't like to be left alone on this dangerous ledge,with a lake of black water hundreds of feet below her; but she was abrave little girl and waited patiently for the return of the Ork. It cameeven sooner than she had expected and the creature said to her:
"Your friend is safe in the tunnel. Now, then, get aboard and I'll carryyou to him in a jiffy."
I'm sure not many little girls would have cared to take that awful ridethrough the huge black cavern on the back of a skinny Ork. Trot didn'tcare for it, herself, but it just had to be done and so she did it ascourageously as possible. Her heart beat fast and she was so nervous shecould scarcely hold the candle in her fingers as the Ork sped swiftlythrough the darkness.
It seemed like a long ride to her, yet in reality the Ork covered thedistance in a wonderfully brief period of time and soon Trot stoodsafely beside Cap'n Bill on the level floor of a big arched tunnel. Thesailor-man was very glad to greet his little comrade again and both weregrateful to the Ork for his assistance.
"I dunno where this tunnel leads to," remarked Cap'n Bill, "but it surelylooks more promisin' than that other hole we crept through."
"When the Ork is rested," said Trot, "we'll travel on and see whathappens."
"Rested!" cried the Ork, as scornfully as his shrill voice would allow."That bit of flying didn't tire me at all. I'm used to flying days at atime, without ever once stopping."
"Then let's move on," proposed Cap'n Bill. He still held in his hand onelighted candle, so Trot blew out the other flame and placed her candle inthe sailor's big pocket. She knew it was not wise to burn two candles atonce.
The tunnel was straight and smooth and very easy to walk through, so theymade good progress. Trot thought that the tunnel began about two milesfrom the cavern where they had been cast by the whirlpool, but now itwas impossible to guess the miles traveled, for they walked steadily forhours and hours without any change in their surroundings.
Finally Cap'n Bill stopped to rest.
"There's somethin' queer about this 'ere tunnel, I'm certain," hedeclared, wagging his head dolefully. "Here's three candles gone a'ready,an' only three more left us, yet the tunnel's the same as it was when westarted. An' how long it's goin' to keep up, no one knows."
"Couldn't we walk without a light?" asked Trot. "The way seems safeenough."
"It does right now," was the reply, "but we can't tell when we are likelyto come to another gulf, or somethin' jes' as dangerous. In that casewe'd be killed afore we knew it."
"Suppose I go ahead?" suggested the Ork. "I don't fear a fall, you know,and if anything happens I'll call out and warn you."
"That's a good idea," declared Trot, and Cap'n Bill thought so, too. Sothe Ork started off ahead, quite in the dark, and hand in hand the twofollowed him.
When they had walked in this way for a good long time the Ork halted anddemanded food. Cap'n Bill had not mentioned food because there was solittle left--only three biscuits and a lump of cheese about as big as histwo fingers--but he gave the Ork half of a biscuit, sighing as he did so.The creature didn't care for the cheese, so the sailor divided it betweenhimself and Trot. They lighted a candle and sat down in the tunnel whilethey ate.
"My feet hurt me," grumbled the Ork. "I'm not used to walking and thisrocky passage is so uneven and lumpy that it hurts me to
walk upon it."
"Can't you fly along?" asked Trot.
"No; the roof is too low," said the Ork.
After the meal they resumed their journey, which Trot began to fear wouldnever end. When Cap'n Bill noticed how tired the little girl was, hepaused and lighted a match and looked at his big silver watch.
"Why, it's night!" he exclaimed. "We've tramped all day, an' still we'rein this awful passage, which mebbe goes straight through the middle ofthe world, an' mebbe is a circle--in which case we can keep walkin' tilldoomsday. Not knowin' what's before us so well as we know what's behindus, I propose we make a stop, now, an' try to sleep till mornin'."
"That will suit me," asserted the Ork, with a groan. "My feet are hurtingme dreadfully and for the last few miles I've been limping with pain."
"My foot hurts, too," said the sailor, looking for a smooth place on therocky floor to sit down.
"_Your_ foot!" cried the Ork. "Why, you've only one to hurt you, while Ihave four. So I suffer four times as much as you possibly can. Here; holdthe candle while I look at the bottoms of my claws. I declare," he said,examining them by the flickering light, "there are bunches of pain allover them!"
"P'r'aps," said Trot, who was very glad to sit down beside hercompanions, "you've got corns."
"Corns? Nonsense! Orks never have corns," protested the creature, rubbingits sore feet tenderly.
"Then mebbe they're--they're--What do you call 'em, Cap'n Bill? Something'bout the Pilgrim's Progress, you know."
"Bunions," said Cap'n Bill.
"Oh, yes; mebbe you've got bunions."
"It is possible," moaned the Ork. "But whatever they are, another day ofsuch walking on them would drive me crazy."
"I'm sure they'll feel better by mornin'," said Cap'n Bill,encouragingly. "Go to sleep an' try to forget your sore feet."
The Ork cast a reproachful look at the sailor-man, who didn't see it.Then the creature asked plaintively: "Do we eat now, or do we starve?"
"There's only half a biscuit left for you," answered Cap'n Bill. "No oneknows how long we'll have to stay in this dark tunnel, where there'snothing whatever to eat; so I advise you to save that morsel o' food tilllater."
"Give it me now!" demanded the Ork. "If I'm going to starve, I'll do itall at once--not by degrees."
Cap'n Bill produced the biscuit and the creature ate it in a trice. Trotwas rather hungry and whispered to Cap'n Bill that she'd take part ofher share; but the old man secretly broke his own half-biscuit in two,saving Trot's share for a time of greater need.
He was beginning to be worried over the little girl's plight and longafter she was asleep and the Ork was snoring in a rather disagreeablemanner, Cap'n Bill sat with his back to a rock and smoked his pipe andtried to think of some way to escape from this seemingly endless tunnel.But after a time he also slept, for hobbling on a wooden leg all day wastiresome, and there in the dark slumbered the three adventurers for manyhours, until the Ork roused itself and kicked the old sailor with onefoot.
"It must be another day," said he.
The Scarecrow of Oz Page 5
