Ch3-Beasts on the Nile

CHAPTER THREE Beasts on the Nile "All aboard!" said Charles. The English couple led the way across a short gangplank onto the deck of their sailboat. The boat had a long cabin and a tall mast with a furled sail. Two crew members in white clothes

were mopping the deck. "Miss Selina!" one called. "Lord and Lady Bickerson are waiting inside, to visit with Miss Florence." "Oh, no! I didn't know they were coming," Selina said under her breath. Charles stopped and stroked his mustache. "Excuse me, my dear," he said. "But while those particular folk are aboard, I believe I shall take a stroll. Pleasure to meet you, Jack and Annie." He tipped his hat, then retreated back down the gangplank. "Coward!" called Selina. Charles turned and saluted her from the riverbank. "Do give my best to the Bickersons, darling! Ta-ta!" he said, and took off. "Who are the Bickersons?" asked Annie. Selina sighed. "Lord and Lady Bickerson are aristocrats from London," she said. "They're friends of Florence's family. Come and meet them, brave American children. It might be good for your education." The boat rocked gently on the calm water as Jack and Annie followed Selina across the deck.

"Aristocrats?" Annie whispered to Jack. "That's like royalty, right?" "Sort of," said Jack. "We have to act proper." "No problem," said Annie. "We've hung out with Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and King Philip the Second of Macedonia." "Yeah, well, don't mention that to anyone," said Jack. "Duh," said Annie. Selina stopped in front of one of the cabin doors and took a deep breath. "Are you ready?" she asked Jack and Annie. "Yes!" said Jack, eager to get out of the heat and away from the flies. Selina opened the door and motioned for Jack and Annie to follow her. They walked into a small sitting room with green paneled walls and dark woodwork. It took a moment for Jack's eyes to adjust to the shadowy room. It was much cooler inside than outside, but the red-faced man and woman sitting stiffly on straight-backed chairs were both fanning themselves frantically.

"Lord and Lady Bickerson, hello! I am sorry that Florence is not here now. I'm sure she will be back soon!" said Selina. "But in the meantime, please meet Jack and Annie from America." "Hello," Jack said with a bow. "Greetings, my lord. Greetings, my lady," Annie said with a curtsy. The aristocrats barely nodded. They fanned themselves harder. "Have a seat, children," said Selina. Jack and Annie sat on the edge of the sofa. Jack tried to keep his back as straight as he could. When he saw Lady Bickerson scowl at his hat, he quickly pulled it off. "How are your lordship and ladyship today?" asked Selina. The two aristocrats spoke at once. "Terrible and wretched!" said Lord Bickerson. "Burning up!" said his wife. "Oh, I'm so sorry," said Selina. But Jack noticed she didn't sound sorry at all. "We saw a dreadful beast this morning!" said Lady Bickerson. "A dreadful beast?" Selina repeated.

"Yes, a crocodile!" said Lord Bickerson. "And a servant told us a hippopotamus was spotted upriver yesterday. Nile hippos kill people, you know. And Egyptian jackals have been seen recently, too. They come out at night and slay small animals." He looked at Jack and Annie. "They have even been known to attack children." "Furthermore, our servants have been telling us about the snakes in Egypt," said Lady Bickerson. "The black mamba, for instance. One bite from that monster contains enough poison to kill twenty people!" "Oh, my, let's hope—" began Selina. "Of course the biggest killer in this land is the vicious little mosquito!" Lord Bickerson interrupted. "Egyptian mosquitoes can carry terrible diseases. Malaria, for one… fever, coma, death!" "Oh, such misery," said Selina. "Yes, aren't we all terribly miserable and frightened in Thebes?" said Lady Bickerson. "Actually I'm not miserable or frightened," Annie said thoughtfully. "We saw a crocodile today, too. But it was harmless." She smiled at

Lord and Lady Bickerson. They stared back at Annie as if she were a little mosquito. Suddenly a servant threw open the door, stood at attention, and spoke in a loud voice. "Countess von Kensky!" A glamorous-looking woman draped in a red silk shawl bustled in. Her dark hair was piled high on her head. On her shoulder was a tiny monkey. The monkey looked like a little elf, with a wrinkled face, big, pointed ears, and bushy eyebrows. "Ohhh, look! It's so cute!" cried Annie. "Countess von Kensky, I believe you have met Lord and Lady Bickerson?" said Selina. "Oh, yes!" said the countess, nodding to the Bickersons. "But neither Koku nor I have met these lovely children! Who are you?" "Jack and Annie from America," said Annie. "Delightful!" said the countess. "Jack and Annie, this is Koku von Kensky! I am from Budapest, Hungary, but she is a baby baboon from the Sudan, in Africa! Koku, say hello." As the countess leaned down toward Jack and Annie,