The Exploits of Moominpappa (Moominpappa's Memoirs) Read Online Free PDF Page A

shaky enough to be allowed coffee in the morning.)
    The Hemulen Aunt looked at us over her glasses.
    'From now on I'm going to take care of you,' she said.
    'You needn't,' we all shouted.
    But she shook her head and said cheerfully: 'It's simply my Hemulic Duty. Now I'll go and prepare a little multiplication contest for you all!'
    When the Hemulen Aunt had vanished into her cabin we curled up under the sun tent on foredeck and tried to comfort each other. We left The Oshun Oxtra to take care of herself for a while.
    'By my tail!' I said. 'I'll never save anybody in the dark again!'
    'Too late now,' said the Joxter. 'One of these days she'll throw my pipe overboard and put me to work. I'm sure there are no limits to what she'll do.'
    'Maybe we'll meet the Groke again?' the Muddler said hopefully. 'Or just somebody else who'll be so kind as to eat her? Excuse me! Was that rude of me?'
    'H'm,' said Hodgkins.
    We sat silent.
    'If only I'd be a great man,' I said. 'Great and famous. Then I needn't take any notice of her.'
    'How does one get famous?' the Joxter asked.
    'Oh, just by doing something that nobody else has been able to do.'
    'For instance?' asked the Joxter.
    'Inventing a flying houseboat,' said Hodgkins with shining eyes.
    'I believe it's a bore to be famous,' said the Joxter. 'Perhaps it's fun at first, but then I suppose you get used to it, and soon you're sick of it. Like on a merry-go-round.'
    'What's that?' I asked.
    'Don't you know?' said Hodgkins. 'Very interesting invention. I'll show you the principle of the thing.'
    He produced a pencil and some paper.
    (Hodgkins knew all about motors and engines! He liked them, too. I've always felt a little awed by them. A water-wheel is all right, but there I draw the line. Even a zipper is a bit suspicious. The Joxter's grandfather once had a pair of trousers with a zipper, and one day the zipper stuck, for ever.) I was about to express some such thoughts to my friends when a curious sound made us turn round.
    It was a low, half-muffled howl, like somebody bellowing through a tin tube. Its tone was definitely menacing.
    Hodgkins looked over the railing and uttered the single ominous word: 'Niblings!'
    Here a short explanation may be necessary, even if these are well-known facts to all sensible people.
    While we were having a rest in the shade under the sun tent The Oshun Oxtra had slowly drifted down to the river mouth where the Niblings lived. The Nibling is a social animal and detests being alone. He lives under river beds, digging tunnels with his teeth and forming rather happy colonies. He's almost as good at building things as I am. He's rather good-natured, except that he cannot keep himself from chewing and gnawing at things, particularly strange and unknown things.
    And the Nibling has one bad habit: he's fond of chewing

    off noses if they're too long (for his taste). So we felt a little nervous, for obvious reasons.
    'Keep in the tin!' shouted Hodgkins to the Muddler.
    The Oshun Oxtra stopped and lay quite still in a great swarm of Niblings. They looked us over in silence, treading water and fanning their whiskers.
    'Please make way for us,' Hodgkins said.
    But the Niblings only drew closer around the houseboat, and then a couple of them started to climb the side. They had suckers on their feet.
    When the first Nibling poked its head over the railing the Hemulen Aunt appeared on deck again.
    'What's all this?' she asked. 'Who're those fellows? I can't have them coming aboard to disturb our multiplication contest.'
    'Don't frighten them! They'll be angry,' Hodgkins said.
    ' I'm angry, ' said the Hemulen Aunt. 'Away, away! Be off with you!' And she knocked the nearest Nibling over its head with her umbrella handle.
    At once all the Niblings turned to look at the Hemulen Aunt. It was obvious that they contemplated her nose. When they had contemplated it long enough they emitted once more their curious muffled tin-tube bellow. And then everything happened very