Benny scooted by Jessie and looked up at the woman. “We know about your great-grandfather and his boat, the Flying Cloud. And we saw your great-grandmother’s gravestone. And Jessie read us a story about your family.”
A tiny smile passed over the woman’s face.
Benny took a deep breath. “We like whales and boats, and Violet knows how to paint pictures of the ocean. And Henry can carve anything, even a whale tooth. If we ever find one.”
The door opened a few more inches. “Well, I don’t know. Most children come in here and go out disappointed. I have nothing here but old things, not even a gift shop.”
“We make our own gifts,” Violet said proudly. “But maybe we can get some ideas from your museum.”
The woman liked Violet’s idea very much. She waved the children inside.
Henry spoke first. “We’re the Aldens, Miss Coffin. We’re staying at the Black Dog Inn with our grandfather. The Peases told us about you. This is Jessie and Violet and Benny, and I’m Henry.”
The woman seemed curious and turned to Jessie. “I see. Tell me how you happened to be reading my book, young lady.”
“Well, first I read a story called ‘Watery Grave: The Wreck of the Flying Cloud.’ ”
The woman stiffened and looked angry. “That! I thought you meant the true history I wrote. That other story is just a lot of lies and gossip!”
Jessie wasn’t quite sure what to say next. She didn’t want to upset Miss Coffin. “Oh, but then Mrs. Pease gave me your book, and I read some of it last night. It’s so sad.”
Miss Coffin got a faraway look. “Yes, it is a sad story. So many died, so close to home. But there’s something worse than that.”
“What could be worse?” Violet asked.
“Humph,” the woman began. “What’s worse is what caused the tragedy of the Flying Cloud. There was an attempted . . . well, never mind.”
“Mutiny?” Benny asked, proud to show off his new word.
“Yes, but it was just that crazy Eli Hull,” Miss Coffin said. “Why, my great-grandfather was one of the most beloved sea captains in these parts. He treated his crew like his own family. Anybody who knows anything knows that! His crew would never have turned against him.”
“Of course not,” Violet said softly. She was reading the sign on a glass cabinet filled with carvings. “Anybody can see that Captain Coffin’s crew loved him. Look at all this scrimshaw his sailors carved for him. Were all these pieces in your family, Miss Coffin?”
Violet’s question perked up Miss Coffin right away. “Why yes—yes, they were. You see the crew made these carvings for my great-grandfather to give to his wife and children. Aren’t they the prettiest things? Here, let me unlock the cabinet so you can see how clever these carvings really are.”
Miss Coffin fished into her pocket and pulled out the key to the cabinet. “Which piece would you like to look at first?” she asked Violet.
Violet pointed to a whale tooth about six inches tall. On it was a parrot carving that was colored in with blue ink. “That one.”
“That’s my favorite, too,” Miss Coffin said. “It’s a picture of Gabby, the pet parrot my great-grandfather rescued on a voyage to South America. Its wing was broken, and he nursed the bird back to health. Gabby traveled on many of my great-grandfather’s voyages.”
Violet and Benny looked upset, remembering what had happened to his last voyage.
“There, there,” Miss Coffin said, “believe it or not, we think somebody freed Gabby from his cage right before the Flying Cloud went up in flames. Gabby flew right back to my great-grandparents’ house. And, believe it or not, I remember Gabby myself. He lived a long, long time after my great-grandparents died. We think Gabby was nearly sixty years old when he died of old age.”
Benny was amazed. “Sixty! That’s almost as old as our grandfather.”
“Did Gabby talk?” Jessie asked.
“Did he talk? Why he never stopped talking!” Miss Coffin answered proudly. “He said: ‘Cap Coff, Cap Coff’ over and over every day until he died. He meant Captain Coffin, of course, my great-grandfather. Anyway, one of my great-grandfather’s crew carved this piece of scrimshaw in happier days, when the Flying Cloud was the most successful whaling ship in these parts.”
“Did the parrot know how to say anything else?” Benny asked. He was still amazed that parrots lived such a long time.
“‘Hardtack, hardtack’ was something else he was always shrieking. Do you children know what hardtack is?”
Jessie smiled. “I do. It’s dried, hard-baked bread that sailors took on long voyages. Dried bread kept better and didn’t get full of mold.”
“Good for you, young lady,” Miss Coffin said. “The crew would put pieces of hardtack in soup or tea. Gabby just loved hardtack.”
Benny said, “I bet Bennycakes are better. That’s what Miss Pease calls johnnycakes, because I eat so many!”
This seemed to please Miss Coffin very much. “Those are my favorites, too.”
The children walked around the small museum and admired the ships’ models, paintings, and the many gadgets from whaling ships. They stopped before a display case of old photographs.
Miss Coffin pointed to a picture of a little girl standing with some older people. Off to the side was a cage with a parrot.
“That’s me with my grandparents,” Miss Coffin said. “And there’s Gabby himself. You know, I do have something you children would like.”
Miss Coffin went to a bookcase. She pulled out a children’s book called Gabby, the Parrot Who Couldn’t Stop Talking.
“Benny, Violet, take this as a present. It’s out of print now. We used to sell it in the museum,” Miss Coffin said. “I wrote it many years ago when children wanted to know about the great days of the Flying Cloud.”
Benny and Violet looked through the little book. They stopped at a page near the end that listed all the words Gabby knew how to say. “What did ‘capsick, capsick’ mean?”
Miss Coffin shook her head. “My family never figured that one out. Drove us crazy with that word. My great-grandfather was never sick a day in his life, certainly not seasick.”
“I hope I’m like Captain Coffin,” Benny said, “and that I don’t get seasick when we go out whale watching.”
Miss Coffin’s blue eyes darkened. “Whale watching? When are you going to do that?”
Benny didn’t like the way Miss Coffin was looking at him now. Something about whale watching seemed to upset the old woman.
“We . . . we don’t know,” Jessie said before Benny said anything else. “We’re hoping Captain Bob will take us out on the Jonah in the next few days. We are interested in whales and how they live and how to save them.”
“Humph,” Miss Coffin said. “Well, you don’t need to go on that man’s boat to find out about whales. Everything you could ever want to know about them is in this library.” She stopped. “And it’s a much safer way to learn than getting on a boat with that . . . that careless captain. Captain indeed!”
“But we want to see whales swimming,” Benny said before he could catch himself, “not just read about them.”
Miss Coffin stood up and walked to the front door. “Then I can’t be of any further help to you. Now I’ll have to ask you to leave. I’ve a busload of tourists—adults—coming this afternoon, and I need to get the museum ready. I think I’ll need that book back, Miss. It turns out I don’t have enough copies after all.”
Violet handed back the little book about Gabby. “Here. I guess we’ll go now,” she said to Miss Coffin. “Thank you very much for the tour. Can we come back again to look at the whale books you mentioned?”
Miss Coffin wouldn’t look at Violet or the other Aldens. “I’ll be too busy. There are several tours I have to organize this week. I can’t say for sure what the museum hours will be for the next few days.”
With that, Miss Coffin led the children to the front door and let them out.
“Do you think Miss Coffin is
worried that whale watching trips harm the whales?” Jessie asked Henry. “She got so upset when we said we wanted to go on one of Captain Bob’s trips.”
Henry was just as puzzled as the other children. “The boat rides don’t get close enough to disturb the whales.”
Benny was the most upset of all. “Is . . . is the Jonah safe, Henry?” he asked.
“I’m sure it is,” Henry said. “Mr. Pease told Grandfather that Captain Bob was in the Coast Guard and knows everything there is to know about boats. And whales, too. Miss Coffin just doesn’t like Captain Bob because he’s related to Eli Hull.”
CHAPTER 6
A Mysterious Box
The Aldens spent the next morning at the beach. Benny hunted on his hands and knees for sharks’ teeth. Violet searched for pretty beach glass and unbroken shells, while Jessie and Henry scouted for driftwood. The whole time the Aldens were on the beach, they kept an eye on the Jonah.
“It looks like Captain Bob is going out on his boat again,” Jessie sighed. “I wonder why he isn’t taking anyone with him. It’s another perfect day.”
“It sure is,” Henry agreed. “At breakfast Grandfather and Mr. Pease said maybe we could go for a boat ride on the Sea Dog when they’re not so busy. But it’s not the same as a whale boat.”
Benny walked up to Henry empty-handed. “I didn’t find one single shark tooth. Just some broken shells and this skinny old gull feather.”
Henry took the feather and stuck it on Benny’s sailor cap. “We’ll call you Macaroni!” Henry joked.
Benny smiled and went over to a bench to watch the boats. Soon the other children joined him. They spread out their handful of sand dollars, shells, and driftwood.
“Maybe this afternoon, we can get some glue and make some pretty things out of what we collected,” Violet suggested.
Henry looked out at the Jonah. “I wish we could convince Captain Bob to take us out on a whale watch.”
“What if I went and asked him about a ride?” Benny asked. “Maybe he’s in a good mood today. I’ll offer him one of Mrs. Pease’s muffins.”
The three older children looked at each other.
“All right, go ahead,” Jessie said with a smile. “But if he gets angry, come right back.”
“I will!” Benny cried before he raced off.
Down at the dock, Captain Bob was untying ropes. The motor of the Jonah was already humming. The captain was so busy, he didn’t see Benny right away.
As soon as the captain looked up, Benny was ready. “I brought you some muffins. You might get hungry wherever you’re going. Here.” Benny held out the napkin-wrapped muffins.
“No, thanks. I’ve eaten,” Captain Bob mumbled.
“You can save them for lunch,” Benny suggested.
The captain shook his head. “No, thanks. I brought my lunch.”
“Where’re you going?” Benny asked. “Whale watching?”
Captain Bob shook his head. “I told you, son, no whale watching for a few days. I’ve got other things to do first.”
Benny finally gave up and turned around. He walked down the dock slowly, one small step after another.
“Hey, Benny,” the captain called out. “Come back!”
Benny whirled around and skipped back to the boat. “What?”
“Listen,” the captain said. “Give me a couple days, then I promise I’ll take you out to see some whales. How’s that?”
Benny wanted to smile, but there was nothing to smile about. “I don’t think we’ll be here. My grandfather is almost finished with his business at the fish-packing plant. Then we’re driving home.”
The captain stared over Benny’s head at the other Aldens. “What are your brother and sisters doing right now?”
“Sorting out stuff we found on the beach,” Benny answered. “I was looking for sharks’ teeth, but I didn’t find any.”
The captain thought for a minute. “Look, run over and get your brother and sisters. I’ll take you out for a quick ride now. Can’t get in much whale watching, but maybe we can go out looking for wreckage.”
Benny’s big blue eyes got even bigger. “Is that the same as treasures?”
“Kind of,” Captain Bob answered. “I’m headed out to Howling Cliffs. Lots of things wash up there after big storms.”
Benny’s eyes widened when he heard this. “Howling Cliffs? Goody!” He raced off to tell everyone about Captain Bob’s offer.
The Aldens were ready to board the Jonah in no time.
“Climb aboard then,” the captain told the children. “I guess I could use some extra hands where I’m going.”
A few tourists were on the shore, so the Aldens waved to them as if they were going on a long sea voyage.
Ragged Cove grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Overhead, seagulls followed the little blue boat. Benny threw out pieces of muffin for the hungry birds but saved a few pieces for himself.
“Sea air sure makes birds hungry,” he said with a laugh.
“And any kind of air makes you hungry!” Henry joked.
This was the first time the children heard Captain Bob laugh. Now he seemed glad to have the Aldens aboard.
When the muffins were gone, Benny walked to the front of the Jonah to see where they were headed. “Hey, what are all those big gray rubber things up ahead?”
“Whale off! Whale off!” Captain Bob yelled. “Here, take a look through these binoculars, Benny.”
“Wow!” Benny cried. “It’s a bunch of whales!”
The captain laughed. “Not a bunch, Benny, a pod. A bunch of whales is called a pod. And when we see them, we yell ‘Whale off!’ just like in the old whaling days.”
“Whale off! Whale off!” Benny yelled. “Look, some of them are looking above the water.”
Indeed, three or four shiny gray whales seemed to be peeking above the waterline as they swam in their pod.
“Now they’re spyhopping,” Captain Bob told Benny. “That means they’re staying just above the water to keep an eye on us. They don’t want us to get too close. I’m going to steer away so we don’t frighten them.”
The children couldn’t take their eyes off the beautiful creatures, especially Violet. “They’re so graceful for such big animals. I wish it weren’t so splashy, or I’d take out my sketchbook.”
The whale pod swam farther out to sea. Captain Bob piloted the Jonah up the coastline toward some tall gray cliffs. There the wind blew hard against the children’s faces. There were no whales and no other boats to be seen. When Captain Bob slowed down and steered into the wind, the children heard a strange sound.
“Is that crying?” Violet asked.
The children listened and looked up at Captain Bob. His sky blue eyes looked straight ahead as he carefully guided the Jonah through the jagged rocks. The sound grew louder.
“This is Howling Cliffs,” Captain Bob said without once taking his eyes off the dangerous rocks. “The wind always makes funny sounds near these rocks.”
In a whispery voice, Violet spoke up. “Jessie read us a story about that sound. Some people say that’s the sound of the sailors’ voices calling for help when the Flying Cloud went down.”
“Yes, some say that,” Captain Bob answered as he piloted the boat to a small, protected beach.
“This looks like a secret beach. I bet nobody has cleaned it up yet,” Violet said in an excited voice, once they were ashore. “Bring the fishing bags from the boat, Jessie. There are lots of shells and driftwood to collect.”
“Even a horseshoe crab shell!” Benny cried when he spotted one. “Now I have one treasure already. Do you think we’ll find some more, Captain Bob?”
“I hope so,” the captain said. “I like to see what washes up after a storm. I couldn’t get in here yesterday because I missed low tide. I hope nothing valuable was washed away.”
“Me, too,” Benny said. “I’m going to climb those rocks. Maybe that’s where pirates hid their treasures.”
“Go ahead, Benny
,” Captain Bob said. “I’ll be up on some of the higher ledges. See you in a while.”
“I think Captain Bob is just shy, that’s all,” Violet said after the captain left.
Henry agreed. “And he’s a very careful pilot. Did you see the way he steered the Jonah right around those sharp rocks? I wonder why Miss Coffin thought he wasn’t a safe sailor.”
“Can I climb these rocks, Jessie?” Benny asked. “There may be some treasures up there.”
“Go ahead, Benny,” Jessie said.
Benny climbed up the rocks to a wide ledge. “I like it up here,” he yelled down. “I can see all over.”
Benny explored the ledge. Overhead a sea bird was screaming. Benny soon figured out why. “Hey, there’s a bunch of nests hidden in these big holes in the rocks. They’re like little caves.”
“Well, come down soon, so the mother bird doesn’t get upset,” Violet told Benny.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” Benny said. “I just want to get this piece of wood that’s sticking out from some rocks.”
Benny reached into a hole in the rocks to grab a thick wedge of wood. “Ugh, ugh,” he said, pulling hard. “This old piece of wood is stuck.”
By this time Captain Bob was standing right above Benny on another ledge. “What’ve you got there, Benny?”
“A stuck piece of wood,” Benny said, all red in the face and out of breath. “I want to see what it is. Maybe somebody poked it in here on purpose.”
Captain Bob lowered himself down to Benny’s ledge. “Okay, Benny, you pull that side, and I’ll jiggle this.”
Benny and the captain jiggled the wood back and forth. Finally some dirt and rocks came loose along with a big wooden box.
“It’s a box!” Benny said in amazement.
“Congratulations, Benny!” Captain Bob said. “You’ve got good eyes. This box was so well hidden in the rocks, I probably passed it a dozen times without noticing it. Let’s get it down to the beach.”
“What’s that?” Henry asked when Benny and Captain Bob put the box down on the sand.
“It’s an old postbox,” Captain Bob told the children. “Back in whaling times sailors used to leave mail for each other in boxes they put up around the coastline. Sometimes they sent letters or small scrimshaw carvings for other sailors to send on to their families. A box like this is very rare.”