chapter 2 on the viking star

it certainly was fun getting everything ready — buying flimsy clothes and enormous hats, masses offilms for the cameras, guide-books and maps. it was to be quite a long cruise, and the ship was to goto portugal, madeira, french morocco, spain, italy, and the aegean islands. what a wonderful trip!

at last everything was ready. the trunks were packed and strapped. the tickets had arrived.

passports were ready, and everyone had screamed in dismay to see how hideous they looked in theirpassport photographs.

kiki screamed too, just for company. she loved screeching and screaming, but she wasn't encouragedin this, so it was a fine chance to scream when everyone was doing the same.

"shut up, kiki," said jack, pushing her off his shoulder. "fancy screaming right in my ear like that!

it's enough to make me stone deaf. aunt allie, will kiki want a passport?""of course not," said mrs. mannering. "i'm not even sure she will be allowed to go with us."jack stared at her in the greatest dismay. "but — i can't go if kiki doesn't. i couldn't leave her behind.

she'd be miserable."

"well, i'll write and ask if you can take her," said mrs. mannering. "but if the answer is no, you arenot to make a fuss, jack. i've gone to a lot of trouble to arrange this trip, and i can't have youupsetting it just because of kiki. i can't imagine that she will be allowed to go — i'm sure passengerswould object to a noisy bird like that."

"she can be awfully quiet if she wants to," said poor jack. kiki chose that moment to have a fit ofhiccups. she hiccupped very well, and it always annoyed mrs. mannering.

"stop that, kiki," she ordered. kiki stopped and looked reproachfully at mrs. mannering. she beganto cough, a small but hollow cough copied from the gardener.

mrs. mannering tried not to laugh. "the bird is so idiotic," she said. "quite crazy. now, where did iput that list of things that i've got to do before we go?""one, two, three, go!" shouted kiki, and jack just stopped her making a noise like a pistol shot. mrs.

mannering went out of the room, and jack spoke solemnly to kiki.

"kiki, i may have to go without you, old bird. i can't upset all the arrangements at the last minutebecause of you. but i'll do what i can, so cheer up.""god save the king," said kiki, feeling that it must be a solemn moment by the look on jack's face.

"poor polly, naughty polly!"

the last few days went by slowly. lucy-ann complained about it. "why is it that time always goesso slowly when you're wanting something to happen quickly? its sickening. thursday will nevercome!"

jack was not so excited as the others, because a letter had come saying that parrots could not be takenon board. all four children were very sorry about it, and jack looked really worried. but he did notgrumble about it, or worry mrs. mannering. she was sorry for him and offered to arrange with awoman in the village to look after kiki for him.

"she used to have a parrot of her own," she said. "i expect she'd enjoy having kiki.""no thanks, aunt allie. i'll arrange something," said jack. "don't let's talk about it!"so mrs. mannering said no more, and even when kiki sat on the tea-table and picked all the currantsout of the cake before anyone noticed, she didn't say a word.

on wednesday all five went off in mrs. mannering's car to southampton, followed by another withthe baggage. they were in a great state of excitement. everyone was in charge of something to carry,and lucy-ann kept looking at her package anxiously to make sure she still had it.

they were to stay at a hotel for the night and embark on the ship at half-past eight in the morning, tocatch the tide. they would be away at eleven o'clock, steaming steadily towards france — whatexcitement!

they all had a very good dinner at the hotel, and then mrs. mannering suggested going to the cinema.

she felt sure that not one of the children would go to sleep if she sent them to bed at the usual time.

"do you mind if i go and hunt up a school friend of mine, aunt allie?" said jack. "he lives insouthampton, and i'd like to spring a surprise on him and go and call.""all right," said mrs. mannering. "but you're not to be late back. do you want to go and see him too,philip?"

"who's this chappy, jack?" asked philip, but jack was half-way out of the room. a mumble camethrough the door.

"what's he say?" said philip.

"sounded like 'porky' to me," said dinah.

"porky? who does he mean, i wonder," said philip. "somebody mad on birds, i expect. i'll come tothe cinema. i'd like to see the picture — it's got wild animals in it."they went off to the cinema without seeing jack again. he was home when they came back, readingone of the guide-books mrs. mannering had bought.

"hallo! see porky?" said philip. he got a frown from jack, and was puzzled. what was jack up to?

he changed the subject quickly, and began to talk about the picture they had seen.

"now, to bed," said mrs. mannering. "stop talking, philip. off you all go — and remember, up atseven o'clock sharp in the morning."

everyone was awake long before seven. the girls talked together, and philip and jack chattered awaytoo. philip asked jack about the night before.

"why did you shut me up when i asked you if you'd seen porky?" he said. "and anyway — who isporky?"

"he's that fellow called hogsney," said jack. "we called him porky. he left ages ago. he was alwayswanting to borrow kiki, don't you remember?""oh, yes, porky, of course," said philip. "i'd almost forgotten him. jack, what's up? you look sort ofsecretive!"

"don't ask me any questions because i don't want to answer them," said jack.

"you're being jolly mysterious," said philip. "i believe it's something to do with kiki. you keptputting us all off when we asked you what you'd done with her. we thought you were feeling upsetabout it, so we didn't press you."

"well, don't press me now," said jack. "i don't want to say anything at the moment.""all right," said philip, giving it up. "i know you're up to something, though. come on — let's get up.

it's not seven yet, but we can't lie in bed on a morning as fine as this."they were all on the boat at just after half-past eight. mrs. mannering found their cabins. there werethree in a row — a single one for her, and two double ones for the others.

lucy-ann was delighted with them. "why, they are just like proper little rooms," she said. "jack, isyour cabin like ours? look, we've even got hot and cold water taps.""we've got an electric fan going in our cabin," said philip, appearing at the door. "it's wizard —lovely and cool. you've got one too."

"the water is only just below our porthole," said dinah, looking out. "if the sea got at all rough, itwould slop into the hole!"

"it would be well and truly screwed up before that happened!" said philip. "i'm glad we're at thewater-line — it will be cooler in this warm weather. i say, isn't this super! i'm longing to sail off."they all went to see mrs. mannering's cabin, which was the same as theirs, but smaller. then theywent to explore the ship. she was quite big, but not tremendous, and was white from top to bottom —white funnels, white rails, white sides.

her name was on each of the white lifeboats, swung at the sides of the deck — viking star. lucy-ann read it a dozen times over.

"we shall have lifeboat drill tomorrow, i expect," said mrs. mannering, joining them on theirexploration.

"there are big sort of life-belt jackets in our cabin cupboards," said lucy-ann. "i suppose you tiethem round you."

"you slip them over your head, so that half the jacket is at your front and half behind — and then youtie it firmly round you with the ropes on it," said mrs. mannering. "you'll have to put it on tomorrowfor lifeboat drill."

it all sounded very exciting. they went round the ship, thrilled with everything. there was the sportsdeck, where someone was already playing quoits with thick rings of rope, and two others wereplaying deck-tennis. "fancy being able to play games like this on board ship!" said dinah.

"there's a cinema down below," said mrs. mannering, "and a writing-room, and library and lounge,and an enormous dining-room!"

"and gosh, look — here's a swimming-pool on the ship itself!" cried jack, in amazement, as theycame to a beautiful pool at one end of the ship, shimmering blue with water.

the ship's siren suddenly hooted twice, very loudly lucy-ann almost fell into the swimming-poolwith fright mrs. mannering laughed.

"oh, lucy-ann — did it make you jump? it made me jump too.""what a terrific noise!" said lucy-ann. "my goodness, it's a good thing kiki isn't here. if she beganto hoot like that siren she'd be impossible.""shut up, idiot," said dinah, in a low voice. "don't remind jack we're going off without her."lucy-ann glanced round for jack, but he wasn't there. "where's he gone?" she asked dinah. butnobody had seen him go.

"he's somewhere about," said philip. "i say, we must be sailing soon. look — they're taking up thegangways. we'll soon be off!"

"let's stand at this side and wave to all the people," said lucy-ann. she leaned over the rail andwatched the people crowded together on the dockside below. they were shouting and waving.

suddenly lucy-ann gave a squeal.

"look! look! there's somebody with a parrot just like kiki! honestly, it is. where's jack? i must tellhim. blow, he's nowhere to be seen!"

the engines of the ship had now started up, and the children felt a vibration under their feet. lucy-ann strained her eyes to look at the parrot that was so very like kiki.

"it is kiki!" she cried. "kiki! kiki! good-bye! i'm sure it's you!"the parrot was chained to a young man's wrist. whether it was making a noise or not the childrencouldn't tell because of the hullaballoo going on. it certainly was remarkably like kiki.

"we're off! we've moved away from the quay!" cried philip. "hurrah, we're off!" he waved madly toevery one. lucy-ann waved too, and watched the parrot. it was getting smaller as the ship movedaway towards the open water. its owner seemed to be having trouble with it. i was flapping its wings,and pecking at him.

then it suddenly rose into the air — the chain parted — and the parrot sailed right over the stretch ofwater be tween quay and ship, screeching madly.

"it is kiki, it is, it is!" yelled lucy-ann. "jack, where are you! jack!"