The sea captains [short story]

Title

Year

1941

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

AUGUST, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 275 LITTLE. STORIES FOR LITTLE .PEOPLE THE ·sEA CAPTAINS By JUANITA MILLER Two little boys, N orberto and Carlos, had been playing sea captain all morn ing and now it was nearly noon. The wide sea where they sailed their ships was a pool in which goldfish had once lived. Its rocky shores were surrounded by the grass of a sunny lawn. N orberto and Carlos each had a fine new boat with a splendid white sail and a slender mast. Norberta's ship had just brought a load of logs from Rosebush Jungle to the port of Biggest Rock, and Car los had brought rose-petal tea leaves from China Shore. That was the nice thing about Fish-Pool Sea; they could pretend that it touched on all land's and all the inter est.ing plac;:es of which they had heard. "What are you playing?" called a lit tle voice which was not a sailor's voice. "Oh, we're playing sea captain," Nor berto answered patiently, for girls didn't know much about· such games! Maria sat down on one of the big rocks beside Fish-Pool Sea and watch�d the ··two boats. "May .I hold a boat string for a little while?" she asked. "A girl can't steer a ship!" Carlos an swer�d, moving the string so as to pilot his ship toward the dock where it was to be unloaded. "I'd be very careful!" Maria said. "But I'm bringing a leopard across the ocean, and girls can't take .care of leopards." Carlos pulled the string very gently so that the strange cargo would not slide off into the pool. .M;aria leaned over the edge of the water and said, "Leopards! I don't see any leopard. There aren't any leopards around here." . Maria was only a little girl, and she did not know about capturing leo.pards in Rosebush Jungle. · N orberto pointed to Carlos' boat and shouted, ."It's turning over I Quick, .Car los! You·r leopard is getting away!" Maria began to laugh. "Oh, oh !" she said. "A little spotted beetle! · Who ever heard of a beetle leopard!" . . Tl1e leopard was rescued and the ship was set up straight again, but something was wrong with it. The leopard crawled away toward the jungle, but the two boys did not· notice. They were too busy ex amining the wrecked ship. "Oh !" said Carlos sadly. "My new qoat! The sail is all torn." It looked as though- Captain Car los (Please turn to page 300.) The torn sail had been neatly mended. 300 THE SEA CAPTAINS {Continued from page 275) would not be able to put to sea again until the sail could be repaired. The boys were glad to hear Mother call that lunch was ready, and they left the boats on Biggest Rock while they went in to eat. When they �ad gone, Ma ria went home to lunch, too. After lunch the boys came back. to Fish-Pool Sea. N orberto's boat lay where he had left it, but THE YOUNG CITIZEN LION HUNTERS {Continued from page 282) of blood, and could not make a powerful attack. The men attacked again and again, and after a bat tle of half an hour the great lion lay dead in the high, dry grass. Now the war riors danced and sang their song of victory around the g r e a t animal's carcass. They swung their spears and shields above their heads, tramped the ground Carlos' boat was gone. sail mender .on his ·ship. "Now where can it be?" Just think what might hap Carlos exclaimed. "I know pen if the sails sh�uld ge..t I left it here beside your torn out in the middle of boat, Norberto." the ocean!" Just then Maria's' head "Yes," said Norberto, ".J came bobbing along the think so, too. I wonder other side of the hedge, and where we could find a good she ran through the gate sail mender to play sea cap with Carlos' boat in her tain with us." hand. She handed it to "Could I be a 'sail mender Carlos with a smile. and saif with you, CapThe torn sail had been tain ?" Maria asked. neatly mended and sewed "Yes!" replied Captain safely to the mast. A new Carlos. "And you may steer string replaced the worrf the ship, too." one which had been tied to ''You· may sail with me, the front of the boat. too," said Captain Nore a rIo s sounded. very berto, "and steer my ship pleased as he aske�, "Who as often as you wish .. " fixed it?" Three happy little faces "I did," said Maria. were reflected in the waters "Mother showed me how." of Fish-Pool Sea, while Carlos held the little three happy children play boat 'in his hand for several ed the new game of sea moments and then he spoke. captains and· sail mender. "I think a sea capta�n -Adapted from uThe ln . should always have a good structor." AucusT, 1941 with their feet, and scream ed insults at the lion with high-pitched voices. The dance lasted for half an hour. Then the war riors placed the lion's body on their shields and carried it above their heads toward their village. Outside the village the women received their war riors with songs and shouts. They carried the dead si mba to tlie center of the village where the natives formed a circle about the body. The ·great lion .was skinned and the. mane was given to the chief. The young warrior who had de fended hi�s·elf so courage ously under his shield was given the. lion's heart. .That night those villa gers were happy. Their cattle herds were not thr.eat ened, and the roaring of simba would not disturb t�eir sleep. They would have peace until another simba would find his way to the cattl-e herds of the Masai warriors of Tangan yika. REVIEW I. What is the English word for zimba? 2. Where is Tanganyi ka? 3. How were the East African warriors planning to kill the lion?

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