Ah! Ah! Oh, pirate shoes speak for themselves! Ah! Ah! Chiv-a-hoy, you lovers! All aboard for the transcribed premiere production, The Cruise of the Pearl Parrot. A thrilling adventure tale of the famous whaling days back in 1858. You will remember that Captain Roy Dalton and first mate George Wainwright found young Johnny Robbins, the boy who helped them track down the rascal Altesti and subsequently was carried off by the Spaniard, tied and gagged in an empty cask on the deck of the whaling ship, Paul Parrot. The ship has now left the harbor of New Bedford and is well on its way to sea as we find Captain Dalton and Wainwright releasing Johnny from the whale oil cask. There, his arms are free. I haven't tied his legs, Roy. Gee! What's the matter, lad? Are you hurt? No, but I've been tied up in that cask for so long, I'm aches all over. Well, Johnny, how on earth did you get aboard the Paul Parrot? I'm mighty glad to see you got free from that bill scum Altesti, but I want to know who tied you and stole you in here. It was that Spaniard that grabbed me and dragged me away on the docks last night, Captain Dalton. That's who it was, all right. Patlubber Altesti! I'll take care of him. But listen, that means you got aboard this ship last night after all. Captain, do you think he's still aboard? Then that ties in with the two men Jowett reported aboard last night. Johnny, do you know if Altesti left the ship last night? No, sir, I don't. I just know he and the other man tied me up and put me in this cask and slammed down the lid. We've got to find out. We can take no chances. I'll have the men scour the ship to look for a stowaway, Captain. No, George, you stay here. I want you around. I'll have one of the other officers do it. Let's see. Jowett, the second mate, is in charge of the men right now. Nicholson is at the helm. I'll call the third mate, Mascara. Mr. Mascara. Aye, aye, Captain. Organize searching parties and search the ship from crow's nest to cold locker. There may be a stowaway on board. Take about ten men. The rest are needed to man the canvas and put the ship to order. Aye, aye, Captain. If that swab is aboard this ship, we'll see that he gets his just desserts. Now that just about proves who threw that balean pin at the shipkeeper. Now, Johnny, tell us what happened. When we captured Altesti and the docks, we had him at bay with our pistols. And then he suddenly grabbed you and held you in front of him so we couldn't shoot him. Then holding you close to him, he backed around the wharf office and shot at us a few times. When he stopped shooting, we quarreled around the office and there was no sign of either of you. Well, he fired a couple of shots at you and then pulled up a trapdoor in the dock planking. He shoved me down and jumped in after me. Blow me down. I know of no trapdoor in the Grange and Sun's docks. There was a big cask over it. You couldn't see it. Well, it led down to the big timbers under the dock. When we got there, there was another man waiting for us. What did this other man look like, lad? Well, he was the peg-legged man I was telling you about. A peg-leg? I'll be horn-swaddled. That settles it. I've been suspecting all along that he's had something to do with it. Who do you mean? Dickon? Aye, aye, Dickon, of course. Remember that first day when we heard his wooden leg thumping just after the shot was fired at us? And here he is reefed in with his dock rat Altesti. I don't think that was the wooden-legged man's name. I don't think it was Dickon. Avast, no matter what Altesti called the lumber, it's bound to be Dickon. He's the only peg-beamed seaman about. I hate to think that of Dickon, Captain. Besides, he was aboard ship here last night. You'll see which way the wind blows, George. That makes it even more suspicious. Just when did he come aboard? Well, go ahead, Johnny. Then what happened? Well, the one-legged man had another boat tied up under the wharf and we all got net. Well, I didn't want to, but there wasn't much I could do. That's all right, lad. You've been very brave. Then, very quietly, they rode out to your ship. The Powell Parrot. But why did they ship you along with them, Johnny? Well, this man you call Altesti thought I was your cabin boy. And he wanted me to tell him where Mr. Grange's cabin was. Avast. So that's it. There you are, Captain. That's why Altesti's been sailing in our wake. He's after the same secret that's bringing Ezra Grange along on this crew. But what is the secret? It's as much mystery as before. Well, when we got out here to the ship, they made me come aboard with them. They came aboard so quickly they got past the watchman. And then we stopped right here by these casks. This Altesti asked me again where Mr. Grange's cabin was. And if he was bunking in the captain's cabin. When I told him I didn't know, he got very mean. And then they said they'd go look for themselves. So they tied me up and put that gag around my mouth and put me in this big cask. If I ever get my hands on that rat, I'll treat him like the worst vermin in the hold. I don't know how long I was in that cask. It seemed like years and years. No wonder your arms and legs hurt. You've borne up well, son. You're a brave young man. And here's my hand on it. Thank you, Captain Dalton. And can I stay? What are we going to do with the boy now, Captain? Blow me down. I never thought of that. And you were supposed to go home to your folks in the country last night. Yes, sir, I know. You see, I told you I was right when I saw you last evening. I told you you were doing very wrong and running away to sea against your parents' wishes. I told you anything could happen to a lad who was alone in a rough port like New Bedford. Didn't I? Yes, sir. Now you see what you've stumbled into? Here you are sailing on a whaler that may not see New Bedford again for more than two years. And the offshore wind is so high we're almost out of sight of land. We can't turn about and take you into port. Couldn't I go along as your cabin boy or something? Son, if you wanted to go to sea, you surely hit into the wrong line. Whaling is about the hardest, cruelest life there is on the sea. You'll have to work your heart out. There'll be weary days of watching for a whale. Then the dangers of catching one when he's sighted. And you never can say when the whale is apt to turn and stave in the ship and lose all. And then there's the job of cutting in with little sleep and hard work. And master your smellier work can hardly be imagined. Oh, but I won't care. I've always wanted to go to sea, Captain. I'll work as hard as anybody else. Honest, I really will. Oh, I see you're not to be discouraged. But see here, you've no sea chest. You've no outfit at all. Every man on board the ship has a chest filled with clothes and all the articles he needs for his cruise. And you haven't so much as a sow wester to break the storm. Captain, we've got a pretty big slop chest. We can let him draw on that. There's bound to be some overcoats and blankets and whatnot in there. And since we have no cabin boy, he'll fill that nicely. Oh, gee, thanks, Mr. Wainwright. Well, it looks as if you have a friend in Mr. Wainwright. I suppose the best thing to do then is to fix up with what we can from the slop chest. And take it out of your share of the voyage. This is the first time I've ever heard of a ship having to take a cabin boy against their own wishes. It's a good thing you come from seafaring folk. You'll learn quickly. But Captain, what is a slop chest? Why, that's just a name, lad. No chest at all. All of the extra clothing, shirts, blankets, overcoats, shoes, tobacco and the like... that we carry along and sell to the men as they need them. All of that we call the slop chest. It's something like a store, you might say. And the men pay for them out of their shares of the profits of the voyage. And you see, Johnny, the better a man is outfitted at the beginning... the less he'll have to call on the slop chest for his needs. And he'll get that much more at the end of his cruise for his share. Oh, gee, I don't care if I get any share at all. Just to go to sea is enough for me. Well, now, maybe you're ahead of schedule here somewhat... and counting on making you cabin boy. I'd better confer with Mr. Grange. After all, he's one of the owners. And as long as he's aboard with us this cruise, we can see him right away. We'll have to be sending a letter to his folks, Captain... by the first returning ship we meet to let him know what's become of him. Aye, we'll have to do that or his parents will think he's been shanghaied. We'll have a wild story to tell them as it is. Johnny Ladd, I know your legs are sore and stiff from being cooped up in that cask so long. Do you think you can walk on them below to Mr. Grange's cabin? Oh, yes, sir. I'm all right now. Then come ahead. I'll return to the men, Captain. Aye, Mr. Wainwright. Hold a minute. Send Dickon below to see me in Mr. Grange's cabin. We might as well straighten this out for good and all. Aye, aye, sir. Here's the hatch, Johnny. Now we go below. Right here's the cabin. Who's there? Captain calls him, sir. Oh, come in. This is the boy I was telling you about, sir. The boy on the deck? Well, how in the thunder did he get on board the ship? It seems that Al Testy managed to get aboard last night in spite of all precautions and find an after he boarded the ship that the lad didn't belong on her, so he stowed him away in an empty cask, all bound up. Is this Al Testy person still on board? Yes, sir. I'm having the ship thoroughly searched right now, and there's a hand in the crew I'm suspicious of. I'm having him sent here below. Well, this is interesting. And seeing that we're out of sight of land, it's not worthwhile putting him about. I wondered why we couldn't send word to the lad's parents by the first ship we hail and put him on his cabin boy. We have none, you know, and he might come in real handy as a help to the steward. Does he have an outfit? We can outfit him from the slop chest and take the cost out of his share at the end of the voyage, if you're willing, sir. That sounds reasonable. We could use a cabin boy. The dirty weather ahead, me hearty! Hold. Just a moment, Mr. Grange. Here comes the hand I suspect of being in league with that squab, Battle Testy. Come in. Thank you, your pardon, sirs. You sent for me, Captain? Here he is, Johnny. Is that the lover that helped bang you up last night? No, he's not the one. The one that was with Al Testy was real darn good. Al Testy was real dark, like a Spaniard, just like Al Testy himself. Well, blow me down. I'm wrong about Dickon. I'm sorry, Dickon. I suspected you wrongly of something you didn't know anything about. But blasted, I'm glad to hear that you're not the one I thought. I always thought you were a good hand and a bloomin' fine man. Why, thank you, sir, thank you. Captain, shiver me timbers. I know what you're talking to. There was a couple of strangers aboard last night, and one of them had a big leg. I seen him. And you thought it was me. That's right, Dickon, but I see I was wrong. The other swab must have jumped overboard when he was discovered. Well, that's all settled. Now about this boy. You look rather intelligent, young man. What's your name? Jonathan Obadiah Robin, sir. What? Repeat that name. Jonathan Obadiah Robin, sir. It's quite a lot of name for so small a hand, I think. It's out of the question. We'll hail the first ship we meet and send him back to port. What? Send the lad back to port because of his name? We can call him Johnny, Mr. Grange. What difference does the length of his name make? That surely has nothing to do with whether or not he'd make a good hand. That has nothing to do with it. We send him back by the first boat. As captain of this craft, I feel that I'm entitled to ask why you don't want the boy. As part owner of this ship and as your employer, I tell you it's none of your business. Now don't let me see that little monkey again. Mr. Grange, I feel that it is my right to ask and to know... I've asked. What's that noise? Ah! Ah! You want to have a look? Ah! Oysers, when Paul Parrott says that, that means there's a lover in this room that don't belong here. Remember this morning he led us to the lab? He's sitting on that sea chest of Mr. Grange's. My George, that noise is coming from my sea chest, all right. Here, let's see. Well, lash me to a yard-arm. What in the... Hello? It's little Miss Grange. Sue, what are you doing here? I told you I'd go on this cruise, Ezra, no matter what happened. And here I am, even if I have to stowaway in your sea chest. Ah! Stowaway! Stowaways! Ah! Women on the ship means bad luck, lads. Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Well, this is a surprise. Now Sue is along on the cruise. Will her brother Ezra let her stay? We're glad to find out that Dickon is no longer under suspicion, but is Altesy still on deck? And what will become of Johnny? Why does Ezra Grange dislike him just because his name is Jonathan Obadiah Robbins? We may find out some of the answers to all this mystery in our next adventure in the cruise of the Paul Parrott. Be sure not to miss even one of these exciting adventures. Your Paul Parrott announcer is Dave Ward.
