THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE FOR YOUNG READERS ONLY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 22, 9 November 1945, Page 6

THE "GOOD ENDEAVOUR" LEAGUE FOR YOUNG READERS ONLY

What ho what ho ma hearties. Well how is the crew this wee*k-? All well up to form I trust. Shiver my timbers,, it doesn't seem a week since last Friday yet I sux:>pose it must he, unless my calendar is playing tricks on me. I went down to the beach on the Southern side of the island the other day, and what do you think t saw ? The place was just one mass of jellyfish. Yes, that's right sailors; everywhere I looked there was jellyfish in some cases piled three and four deep. By the \vay ? did I ever tell you about the jellyfish I once had ? I don't think I did, Anyway his name was Mort junior ? and although l he was only quite a small jellyfish, he was very lively, and used to slither round all over the place. I picked him up off the coast of Africa and I had liim aboard ship with me for quite some, months. When lie wasn't out slithering about he lived under my bunk ? in a pie dish. I fed him on all sorts of things, but he seemed to like porridge better than anything. I had him for over six and during that time, hie got into more trouble (and incidentally got me in to more trouble) than he was worth. One day the captain was bending over his chart table measuring how far away firom the South Pole we were, whien suddenly he let out a terrific yell. We all rushed to see what was the matter? and there he was dancing about clawing at his back. He pulled out' his shirt tail and the next minute out flopped Mortimer. He had been sitting on the shelf in the shade and had gone to lost his balance, and, tumbled off down the captain's neck. Ify the knot in Nep-' tune's necktie I certainly bad a lot of explaining to do. Poor old Mortimer; he was always getting into trouble—until one day the end came very suddenly. 1 had finished lunch ? and was having forty winks below with Mortimer who was settied down nicely in his pie dish. When I awoke, the sun was streaming through the open porthole and straight on to the pie dish —and there was no sign at all of Mortimer, or rather there was some sign of Mor. but only a very small sign. ! All that was, left of him was a dirty mark on the bottom of the pie dish. While lie had been asleep the sun had coming streaming through on to him and without knowing it ? lie had melted away. Poor Mortimer. Nevertheless, the captain and all the rest of the crew were quite as Mortimer really had caused them more than enough trouble. Well sailors, it's time I set a new course for the rest ot the page. Cheerio for this week. P.T.W.