Ah, ah, Paul Parrott's shoes speak for themselves. Ah, ah, ship ahoy, you lovers. All aboard for the transcribed premiere production, The Cruise of the Paul Parrott, that thrilling story of the sea and the adventurous days of whaling. If you'll remember, Johnny Robbins, asleep in Captain Dalton's cabin, was awakened by the strange chopping sound in the hole that we've heard of so much before. Deciding to investigate, Johnny steals from the cabin to the deck, where he meets Sue Grange, who is also unable to sleep. They overhear Red Mulhollay, the brutal sailor whom Captain Dalton struck when he was bullying Johnny, talking to another seaman and planning to revenge himself on the captain right away. They silently follow him down to the deck, back to the captain's cabin intending to warn Captain Dalton before Red strikes. Meanwhile, Ezra Grange has also been awakened by the chopping sound, and he too has gone to the captain's cabin when he finds Sue missing from his cabin. There they all meet, and a terrific struggle ensues between Captain Dalton and Red Mulhollay. As today's adventure begins, we shall hear the outcome of the fight. It is now the next day, and Johnny and Sue are talking to the captain on the deck of the Paul Parrott. Oh, Captain Dalton, I'm so glad that awful seaman didn't harm you last night. I was very lucky, Miss Sue. I'm more obliged than I can ever tell that you and Johnny tracked him down and tried to warn me. It's a good thing Mr. Grange was in your cabin and you were awake. Aye lad, it is that. If the two of us hadn't been there, I'd have had a stiff squall battle in that hulk of a man. I could match him in a fair fight any time, but it's different when you're caught unawares at night. And he had a knife. That made him all the more dangerous. Aye lad, that he had. But he wasn't so dangerous after we sunk a few blows below his chin. But enough of this. It's over and we're all safe, and we all may be thankful for our good fortune. And the red-headed seaman is getting his just desserts too. You may lay to that. What became of him, Captain Dalton? He's been thrown in irons and sent below to the hold. He'll stay in the brig until our first port call, where we'll send him ashore to stay. That kind of a swab is not wanted on board the Paul Parrott. Gee, Captain Dalton, you know just about what to do in every case, don't you? Get along lad. That's every skipper's duty, to know what to do at the proper time. Oh Johnny, where did Dickon and his Paul Parrott go? Gee Sue, I don't know. I wanted to tell him all about last night. I'll tell you where he is. He's below deck. Tending to that swab, Redmull Hooley. Somebody has to take his grub to him, and old Dickon was ordered. I wonder what he says when Dickon goes down there in that dark hole. I never would have picked this job of me own choosing, you can lay to that. But somebody's got to carry a grub. Ah, stow that, Dickon. I ain't asking for sympathy. But if I'd done in the Captain, the whole story might have been different. But I didn't, so I got to take me punishment. But strike my missin', I almost go mad sitting in this black smelly hole all by myself. That's why I asked you to leave your Parrott down here this morning. I thought he'd be better company than nothing. Ah, party lashes for the lover before the mast. Ah, stow that gap. Blow me down. I thought you wanted to hear him talk. That's why I left the bird down here this mornin'. What with you pleadin' and beggin' me to. Thought it was against me better judgment, and now you tell me to stow it. I wanted him here to talk to me and keep me company. But all these squawks is rubbish like hang him from the far mast, lash him to a yard arm. Party lashes for the lover. You think I want to hear that? Sounds like he's promising them to me. Well, I'm in flubber. In the dry works with him. Hear that? Hear that? That's why he goes on at me. I'd rather have the dead silence around me than the stirrin' of the rats in the hole. Take him above. Aye, and gladly. I was a fool to leave the bird down here all morning anyway. I can't let nothin' good from you. Well, we won't be trouble with you much longer. You'll be dropped off at Rio. You'll be lucky you don't pay with your life for mutiny. Make those ions you wear and teach a lesson. Come on, Paul Parrott. Come on, we're headin' above. I must see the youngins. They haven't tell me all about the fight last night. I ain't heard at all first hand yet. Gee, then, Captain Dalton, you could have that man red and maybe hang for mutiny, couldn't you? I could, but I want no man's blood on my head. Even of a low shipworm like that. I'm puttin' him ashore at Rio. Well, Miss Sue and Johnny Ladd, I must get aft. Get along with you. Gee, I like Captain Dalton. Me too. I never knew a man so strong as him before. Say, Sue, did you find out any more about that mat Mr. Granger's got with my father's name on it? No, I haven't. My brother never takes it out of his pocket anymore. Oh, look, here comes Dickens. And Paul Parrott's on his shoulder. Ah! Ah! Ah! She blows! Disturb it! Ah! Ahoy there, mates. Hey, you ran into heavy squaws last night down on the captain's cabin. Well, yes, we did, but we didn't really see much. It all happened in the dark, and since Mr. Granger had already awakened Captain Dalton, it only took a few seconds for the captain to knock Red Mulhollay down, even if Red did have a knife. Ah, he's a brave and mighty man, the skipper. And you may lay to that. Dickens, where had Paul Parrott been? I haven't seen him on deck all morning. Well, mates, they threw red and irons in the hold, you know. When I went down there early this morning to fetch him his grub, he begged me to leave Paul Parrott with him to keep him company or he'd go mad. And you let him? Well, much as I hate the lubber, I just couldn't refuse him that. But a few moments ago when I went below, he changed his mind. He said the bloomin' Twitter kept remarking unpleasant and disturbing things at him. So he wanted me to take him back on deck. He's a bloomin' hammerhead shark, and you can lay to that. Well, blow me down. All Paul Parrott sure can tell a man by his rigging. He's a smart old bird, picks up words just hearing them said once, and then he says them when you at least expect it. You can lay to that, Mr. Altsesty. I'm with you. There he goes again. Wait, did you hear what that bird said? What? He said, you can lay to that, Mr. Altsesty. Where did he get that name? Are you sure he said that? He said it just as plain as... I'm with you, Mr. Altsesty. You can lay to that. There. Hear him? Hear him? Why, shiver me, Tibbers. Where did he pick that up? Why, Altsesty is a Spaniard that Captain Dalton had so much trouble with before the cruise, isn't he? Yes. He's the man that brought me on board the Paul Parrott and put me in that cask. Blow me down. That's the swab the Captain suspected of causing that chopper noise down in the hold, ain't it? That's the one. But, Johnny, if the Parrott heard his name... Then he must be aboard someplace. That's what I think, too. You're right, mates. The bird must have picked it up this smolder when I left him down in the hold. And that means Altsesty was down there talking to a rat. Shiver me, Tibbers. Let's find the skipper. No, Dickon. There's no time to lose. The Captain is aft with the officers, thrilling the men to use the whale boats. We'd better go down in the hold as quietly as we can. And maybe we can find out where Altsesty is hiding. Well, let's hurry. I'll go with you. No, hold. I'd better not. He'll hear me old peg-reg clumping down the stairs and that'll warn him. That's right, Dickon. We'd better go alone. But it's dangerous, Miss Sue. You should have one of the men go below with you. Well, we'll be real quiet, Dickon. The fewer of us there are, the less chance there is of Altsesty hearing us if he's down there. We'll go below and hide behind the empty casks in the hold. Well, mates, if you're set on it. But I'll stay right here at the head of the companionway. And if anything dangerous happens, just hail me. And I'll be done with half the crew in the time it takes a whale to hoist his flukes. All right, Dickon. Come on, Sue. Real quietly. All right. What part of the hold did Dickon say Red was in? Dickon didn't say. But the Captain says he was right four of the casks. That means just about a midships. Careful. These stairs creak. I'll be careful. Now we're on the main deck. Now, down to the hold. Wait. Look, Johnny. If Red is in Arn's and midship in the hold, that would put him just about under our cabin. That's right. And that would be just where you'd expect Altsesty to be hiding. Because if Altsesty made that chopping noise, I'd came right from under Mr. Grange's cabin. Remember? Yes. Look, Johnny. We're almost there. Yes. We can slip around behind that first stack of casks. But where's Red? He's around on the other side of those casks. Come on. Real quick. He made it. And no sound. Come on. We'll creep through this little space here. Oh, it's awfully small. We'll have to squeeze through. It's the only way we can get through all these casks. Watch out, Sue. Don't push any of them. If one falls over, it'll make an awful racket. I'll try not to. We're almost there. Listen. Oh, it's voices. Somebody's talking. And one of them must be that sailor Red. And the other must be the... Shh. We've got to get closer. Real quiet now. I'll try to. Look out, Johnny. What? That cask ahead. It's shaking. It's going to fall. Oh, gee. It'll tell them we're here. Oh, it's stopping. Oh. It didn't fall after all. It was awful close. We've got to be even more careful. Oh, I thought sure that bow would fall. Come on. We're almost there. Oh, they must be right past that next row of casks. Yes. You can see right through here. Who is it? Sue. Look. My good friend Red, if I loosen the chains, can you be sure you can start a mutiny? Of course I can, Mr. Altesti. I told you this morning I was with you every not of the way. Ah, but if this is not true, I'll loose you and then you tell the capitan. Low me down, Mr. Altesti. I'd never do that. Sir, help me. I wouldn't crush you. If you did, you might find a dirt between your ribs. Ah, but if you cannot start a mutiny among the men, you will be of no use to me. You give me a chance to... That's the man. That's Altesti, all right. But where did he come from? Where has he been hiding? Look. See that opening in the planking over there? Yes. It's like a door. That's where he's been hiding. There's a secret compartment in the side of the hull. We better run back and tell the capitan. Right away, Sue. But wait. Listen a minute. But this I tell you, my friend Red, whether it is through you or by some other way, before eight bells this evening, I shall have that map of Senor Granges, and it shall be I who am in command of this ship, and not that swine, Captain Dalton. Madre de Dios, I swear it, by eight bells I shall be in command. So, Altesti has been on board the pall parrot all this time, hiding in a secret compartment. And what is his plot to free Red and start a mutiny? Will Johnny and Sue be able to tell the captain in time to stop this man's evil plans? And about that map, that's what Altesti wants, the map that Mr. Grange holds with Johnny's father's name on it. Will he get it? Only time will tell. Perhaps we'll find out real soon, so don't miss even one of these exciting adventures on the cruise of the pall parrot. Your pall parrot announcer is Dave Ward.
