David and the Phoenix (Full Audiobook) - Chapter 07

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter seven of David in the Phoenix. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Greg Weeks. David in the Phoenix by Edward
ormand Dryde Chapter seven, in which the Phoenix plan is

(00:22):
carried out and there are more alarms and excursions in
the night. Now, my boy, said the phoenix. When they
got back to the Ledge that afternoon. Are the shops
still open? I think they're open till six, said David,
shaking the sand out of his shoes. Are we going
to buy something? Precisely, my boy? A hardware store should

(00:44):
have what we need. Now, you will take our gold
and purchase the following, and the phoenix listed the things
it wanted and told David which to bring to the Ledge,
in which to leave below. And a hatchet. The phoenix concluded,
we have one at home already, said David. Now, listen, Phoenix,
can't you tell me what all this is for? What

(01:04):
are we going to do with it? My boy? The
feline's existence was terminated as a direct result of its inquisitiveness.
What did you say, curiosity? Killed the cat, explained the phoenix.
Oh but now run along, my boy. A very important
thought has just come to me. I must meditate a while.

(01:25):
The phoenix glanced at the thicket and hid a yawn
behind one wing. Oh all right, said David, I'll see
you in the morning. Then it wasn't until he got
home that he thought of something. He couldn't spend pirate
gold pieces, or even show them to any one without
being asked a lot of embarrassing questions. What to do?
Ask dad or mother or aunt Amy to lend him

(01:47):
some money more embarrassing questions. Well, he would have to
rob his bank. But wait, why hadn't he remembered just
before they had moved, Uncle Charles had given him a
ten dollar bill as a farewell present. He had been
saving it for a model airplane, but the excitement of
the last few days had driven it completely out of
his mind. Of course, the phoenix's plan was more important

(02:10):
than any model plane could be, so he kept the
gold pieces tied up in his handkerchief and took his
ten dollars to a hardware store, where he bought what
the phoenix wanted, a coil of rope, an electric door bell,
a pushbutton, and one hundred feet of insulated wire. Then
he brought the package home, hid it behind the woodpile
in the garage, and sat down to think wire bell,

(02:34):
pushbuton what could the phoenix possibly want with them? And
what was the rope for? And the hatchet. The more
he puzzled over it, the more confused he became, and
finally he just gave up. There was only one thing
he was sure about. Whatever the plan was, they would
have to carry it out as soon as possible. Two
days had passed since the scientist had shown up. The

(02:56):
new gun he had ordered might arrive at any time now,
perhaps even today, when they had been digging up the
pirate treasure. The scientist had got his new rifle and
had started to hunt through the mountains. The thought gave
David a creepy feeling on the back of his neck.
They certainly would have to hurry. Early next morning, David

(03:16):
climbed up to the ledge, bringing with him the coil
of rope and the hatchet. As an afterthought, he had
added a paper bag full of cookies. Here's the stuff, Phoenix,
he called out as he stepped on to the ledge.
Where are you? There was a crash from the thicket
as though someone had jumped up in it suddenly, and
the phoenix stumbled out, rubbing its eyes. Ah splendid, my boy, Yes,

(03:39):
I was just ah thinking, phoenix said David. I'm not
going to ask you again what your plan is, because
I know you'll tell me when it's time. But whatever
it is, we'd better do it right now. The scientist
may show up any minute. Precisely, my boy, never put
off until tomorrow. What can be done today? One of
my favorite proverbs. We shall begin immediately here. The phoenix

(04:01):
caught sight of the bag in David's hand and added hastily,
But of course we must not forget that first things
come first. You might have brought more, said the phoenix.
Fifteen minutes later, there weren't any more in the jar.
David said, Phoenix, please tell me what we're going to do.
I don't care if curiosity did kill the cat. I've
been thinking about the rope and wire and bell all night,

(04:23):
and I can't make heads or tails out of it.
The phoenix gave a pleased laugh. Of course you cannot,
my boy. The plan is far too profound for you
to guess what it is. But set your mind at rest.
I shall now explain the rope and hatchet. David leaned
forward eagerly. Now, scientists, you know, have fixed habits. If

(04:44):
you know those habits, you can predict just what they
will do at any time. Our particular scientist is a
daytime creature. That is to say, he comes at dawn
and goes at dusk, his invariable habit. My boy, Well
there you are, my boy, said the phoenix triumphantly. We
shall sleep during the day and continue your education at night. Oh,

(05:06):
said David. He thought about this awhile, then asked, but
suppose the scientist comes up on the ledge during the
day and catches you asleep. Aha. That is where the
rope and hatchet come in. Never fear, my boy, I
thought of that. Also, we are going to construct a
snare at each end of the ledge. How hand me
that twig, my boy. The phoenix took the twig, found

(05:29):
a bare spot of earth and sketched a picture. First,
we find a sapling and clear the branches from it
with a hatchet like this. Next, we get a stake,
cut a notch in it, and drive it into the
ground so the sapling is bent down to it and
fitted into the notch which holds it down. You see,
my boy. Now we make a noose, so from a
piece of rope, tie it to the end of the sapling,

(05:52):
and spread the loop out on the path. This way,
the whole snare is hidden under grass and leaves. The
phoenix beamed and flung out of wings in a dramatic gesture.
Just picture it, my dear chap the scientists smiling evilly
as he skulks along the path. The unwary footstep, the
sapling jarred out of the notch, springing upward the tightened noose,

(06:14):
and our arch enemy dangling by the foot in mid air,
completely at our mercy. Magnificent golly phoenix, said David, that's
pretty clever. Clever, my boy, better to say, a stroke
of genius. Only I phoenix could have thought of it,
and consider the poetic justice of it. This is exactly
the sort of trap that the scientist once set for me.

(06:37):
Well shall we begin. The phoenix had made the snares
sound delightfully simple, but they soon discovered that the job
was harder than it sounded. First, they had to find
the right kind of sapling, springy and strong. The sapling
had to be in the right place, one by the
goat trail, the other at the far end of the ledge.
When they had been chosen, David had to shinny up

(06:59):
them to law off their branches. That was a very
awkward business. A sapling swayed and trembled under his weight,
and he could only use one hand for the hatchet.
Then he had to make two stakes from stout hard wood,
cut a notch at one end, and drive them into
the ground with the flat of the hatchet. But the
hardest part was trying to bend the sapling down to

(07:20):
the stake and fitting it into the notch. It took
the weight of both of them to bring the sapling
to the ground. If they got the slightest bit off balance,
it would spring up again. Once David fell off, the
sapling went swish back into the air, flinging the astonished
phoenix thirty feet up the mountain side. It was not
until the afternoon, when the sun had turned rudy and

(07:42):
shadows were beginning to stretch dark fingers across the land
that they finished the job. But at last the saplings
were set in the notches, the nooses were formed and
fastened on grass, and leaves were strewn over, the snares, chips,
hewn branches, and other evidences of their work were removed.
They sat down and looked proudly at each other. My

(08:05):
boy said the phoenix. I have had a wide and
sometimes painful experience with traps, so you may believe me
when I say that these are among the best I
have seen. We have done well. They're sure strong enough,
David agreed, flexing his fingers to take the stiffness out
of them. But what are we going to do if
the scientist does get caught in one? We shall burn

(08:29):
that bridge when we reach it, my boy, Now, do
you have the pliers, wire cutters and screwdriver below? Yes,
they're down in the cellar. What are we going to
do with them? Phoenix? Patience, patience, you will be told
when the time comes. I shall meet you tonight after dark,
as soon as it is safe for me to come down.
I trust you will have everything ready. Are you coming

(08:51):
down precisely? My boy? A risk, I admit, but a
necessary one. There is a hedge at the back of
your house, is there not? Splendid? You may await me there, David,
sitting in the shadow of the hedge, jumped when he
heard the phoenix's quiet. Good evening, My boy, phoenix, he whispered,
how did you do it? Golly, I didn't see you

(09:12):
at all, and it isn't even dark yet. I have
been hunted long enough, my boy, to have learned a
few tricks. It is merely a matter of gliding close
to the ground, selecting the best shadows, and keeping a
sharp lookout. Well, let us get on with the plan.
Have you the tools here? Yes? Here, they are splendid. Now,
my boy, since we must continue your education during the night,

(09:36):
it is necessary that we have some way of getting
in touch with each other. If you climb the mountain
side in the dark, you may unwittingly fall into our
own snare. It is far easier for me to come
down that it is for you to go up, and
under cover of darkness, I can do it quite safely.
The question now is how will you know when I
have arrived that my boy is the nub or crux

(09:58):
of the situation. Difficult problem, you will admit, But I
have worked out the solution. The phoenix lowered its voice impressively.
My boy, we are going to install this bell in
your room, and the push button on the base of
that telephone pole. When I arrive here at night, I
shall press the button to let you know that I
am ready to go. A magnificent idea, isn't it. It

(10:23):
did not seem very practical to David. Well, Phoenix, that's
a good idea, he said, carefully. But how are we
going to hide the wires? And what about the noise
of the bell? Nothing to it, my boy, the wires.
There are wires between your house and the telephone pole already.
One more would not be noticed the noise. You have

(10:43):
a pillow on your bed under which the bell can
be muffled. Yes, that's true. It still sounded impractical. Just
imagine it, the Phoenix continued enthusiastically. Perhaps later we can
install another bell at this end. Then we could learn
Morse code and send messages to each other, exactly like
a private telephone line. Put in this way, the idea

(11:06):
had a certain appeal, and David found himself warming to it.
But there was another thing to consider. How about electricity, Phoenix,
Look above you, my boy, the telephone pole is simply
loaded down with power lines waiting to be tapped. The
Phoenix was evidently set on carrying out the plan, and
David did not want to wear out the bird's patience

(11:28):
with more objections, and well, why not, there should be
no harm in trying it out anyway. They gathered up
the tools and walked along the hedge to the telephone pole,
which was in one corner of the yard. The phoenix
began to uncoil the wire, while David gazed up doubtfully
at the shadowy maze of lines and insulators on the

(11:50):
cross arms. Electricity said, the phoenix thoughtfully is a complicated
and profound subject. There are ampers, and there are volts,
and there are kilowatt hours. I might also mention positive
and negative, and ah, all that sort of thing most profound.
Perhaps I had better investigate up there, screwdriver please. The

(12:13):
phoenix took the screwdriver in one claw and flew up
to the top of the pole. David could hear the
creak of the lines under the phoenix's weight and the
rattling of the screwdriver against the porcelain insulators. For some minutes.
The phoenix investigated, clicking and scraping about and muttering, quite
so and there we are. Then it fluttered down again

(12:34):
and rubbed its wings together. The whole situation up there
is a lot simpler than I thought it would be,
my boy. The power lines merely come up to the
pole on one side, pass through the insulator, and go
away from the pole on the other side. Child's play.
The covering on the lines is rather tough, however, we
shall have to use the water cutters. The phoenix returned

(12:57):
to the top of the pole with the cutters and
worked on the wires for five more minutes. Bits of
debris began to shower down on the hedge. One of
the wires vibrated on a low note, like a slack
guitar string. We must not forget the difference between alternating
and direct current, my boy, said the phoenix as it

(13:18):
flew down again. An important problem that where is our wire? Ah,
there we are the pliers. Please do you need any
help up there? David asked. Now everything is coming along beautifully,
Thank you. I shall have everything finished in a flash.
Trailing one end of the wire in its beak, the
phoenix flew up into the darkness once more. The tinkering

(13:39):
sounds began again, and a spurt of falling debris rattled
in the leaves of the hedge. Suddenly it happened. There
was a terrific burst of blue light, sharp squawk from
the phoenix, and a shower of sparks. Another blue flash
blazed up the lights in the house and down the

(13:59):
lad whole street flickered and went out in the blackness
which followed. Each stage of the phoenix's descent could be
heard as clearly as cannon shots. The twanging and snapping
as it tumbled through the wires, a drawn out squawk,
and the flop of wings in the air below the
crash into the hedge, the jarring thud against the ground.

(14:20):
Broken wires began to sputter ominously and fire out sparks.
A smell of singed feathers and burning rubber filled the air.
By the light of the sparks, David saw the phoenix
staggering to its feet. He jumped to the bird's side,
but the phoenix waved him away with its wing. Quick
My boy, it gasped, We must make a strategic retreat.

(14:42):
Meet me on the ledge in the morning. Out the
phoenix beat at the smoldering sparks in its tail and
flew off, leaving a trail of acrid smoke hanging in
the air. David had the presence of mind to gather
up all the tools, the wire, bell and pushbutton, and
one of the phoenix's feather which had been torn out
during the fall. He slipped through a cellar window, hid

(15:04):
the equipment under a stack of old boxes, and ran
noisily up the stairs into the kitchen. Hey, he shouted,
The lights are out. Is that you, dear? Came mother's
anxious voice from the dining room. The telephone's dead, Dawd
shouted from the hall. Aunt Amy came bumping down the
stairs with a candle. It's the burglar, she cried, turning

(15:27):
out all the lights so he can murder us in
our beds. Look, David shouted, the line's broken in our
back yard. They could hear the wailing of sirens. Now
fire trucks, repair trucks, and police cars pulled up in
front of the house. Everyone in the block turned out
to see what had happened. It took the repair men

(15:48):
an hour to untangle the wires and fix them, and
all the time policemen were going through the crowd, asking
questions and writing things down in their note books. They
were looking rather haggard, David thought. End of chapter seven