Chapter Four

by Ruth Stiles Gannett

　　MY FATHER FINDS THE RIVER

　　The jungle began just beyond a narrow strip of beach; thick, dark,damp, scary jungle. My father hardly knew where to go, so he crawledunder a wahoo bush to think, and ate eight tangerines. The first thingto do, he decided, was to find the river, because the dragon was tiedsomewhere along its bank. Then he thought, "If the river flows intothe ocean, I ought to be able to find it quite easily if I just walkalong the beach far enough." So my father walked until the sun roseand he was quite far from the Ocean Rocks. It was dangerous to staynear them because they might be guarded in the daytime. He found aclump of tall grass and sat down. Then he took off his rubber bootsand ate three more tangerines. He could have eaten twelve but hehadn't seen any tangerines on this island and he could not riskrunning out of something to eat.

　　My father slept all that day and only woke up late in the afternoonwhen he heard a funny little voice saying, "Queer, queer, what a dearlittle dock! I mean, dear, dear, what a queer little rock!" My fathersaw a tiny paw rubbing itself on his knapsack. He lay very still andthe mouse, for it was a mouse, hurried away muttering to itself, "Imust smell tumduddy. I mean, I must tell somebody."