The Great Galloon and the Pirate Queen Read Online Free PDF Page A

the sunset.
    Like a great clam, in its stripy-jumpered shell,
    The sun sets below the sea’s swell.
    Nothing in my world seems bigger.
    The day will dig it out, like a cla—
    At this point she had slammed the book closed, and begun scribbling on the cover. Now the only thing to keep her occupied was the rattling and juddering that told her someone big was climbing up the mainmast towards her.
    Ooo! Someone was coming. She dropped her book and leaned over to look through the lubber’s hole.
    Strange
, she thought,
could have sworn I heard someone.
    â€˜Cloudier Peele, as I Iive and breathe!’ said a booming voice behind her. She nearly leapt out of her skin, and spun round to see the Captain clambering over the outside rail of the crow’s nest.
    â€˜Looking down the lubber’s hole for me! Ha! You won’t find me using that. It’s for landspeople and cowards! I come round the outside or not at all.’

    He landed squarely on the boards of the crow’s nest with a thump. Cloudier was pleased to see that, despite his gloom since losing the Sumbaroon, he had a glint in his eye. He always did when he was out and about on his beloved Galloon.
    â€˜Oh,’ she said, ‘I come through the hole, I’m afraid.’
    â€˜And so you should. Load of showy nonsense, this “round the outside” stuff. Could get meself killed, and then where would we be?’
    Cloudier didn’t know what to say.
    â€˜Well, you’d be here, clearly. But you’d no doubt be a bit miffed with having to deal with it, and I … would … be dead,’ said the Captain.
    â€˜What a lot of piffle,’ he continued. ‘Sorry, Miss Peele, I’ve been locked inside my own head for a day or so, sometimes it’s hard to come out. How’s things up here? Spotted anything?’
    â€˜No, Captain. Just the sea. Smooth as glass all around. There’s a cloud over there, but it’s not done much. No sign of your … of the Sumbaroon, I’m afraid.’
    â€˜I’m afraid too – that’s why I had to get out for a wander. But of course it’s hard to see far from here. The weather balloon gives a better view. Or we could go up to the top, of course.’
    Cloudier thought for a moment. She pictured the Galloon in her mind, and where they were, near the top of the mainmast, with the vast bulk of the mainb’loon hanging over their heads.
    â€˜To the top? Are we not at the top?’
    â€˜Wha? Bless my clichéd barnacles, no, we are not at the top. Have you not wondered where that goes? You young people – too much respect for your elders, not nearly enough poking around in corners, asking awkward questions and so on.’
    As he spoke, the Captain put his hands to the great mizzenmast, which was made of twelve stout trees lashed in a bundle. Cloudier noticed for the first time that hammered into the mast were iron pegs, like footholds. She looked up, and saw that ‘where that goes’ referred to the point where the mast actually entered the mainb’loon itself. The Captain was climbing now, and as so often before, Cloudier wasn’t sure if he expected her to follow or not.
    â€˜I thought it just kind of stopped!’ she said.
    â€˜Thought? What’s the point in thinking when you could be looking? Come on. You’ve spent enough time in the crow’s nest – let’s show you the eagle’s lair.’
    Cloudier, astonished that there was yet more of the Galloon to see, began to climb after the Captain in a determined manner.
    After they’d climbed up a few more feet, the Captain stopped, just below where the mast entered the balloon. He began pulling at the edge of the balloon where it met the mast. Eventually he yanked it over his head like he was getting into a sleeping bag the wrong way round. Then he heaved himself up another step or two, and was gone. The edge of the balloon, with some kind of rubber