CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE -- THE MOUTH OF THE NILE

The next morning, Miss Morgan made sure everyone got up at dawn. After a hurried breakfast, she packed the kids into the VW. Sue sat on the roof again.

Daniel Boone gave Paul Newman a coonskin cap.

"Is that real coonskin?" asked Mark.

"No, of course not," said Mr Boone, "There's no point in killing a critter just for a hat".

With his new hat and his face paint and beads, Paul Newman looked like a real Indian scout, running ahead with Crazy Horse.

About noon, Donny spotted the Redcoat Sergeant. He was on the porch of a little cabin, smoking a pipe and rocking in a rockingchair beside his wife. He looked very happy. "'Ome is where the 'eart is," he said. But Miss Morgan, curious as she was, had no time to find out what the place he was at had to do with the place she was going to. She just had to get to Ome; and nothing was going to stop her or slow her down.

They kept driving and driving, crossing more and more moors. Miss Prysby whispered to Miss Morgan, "You don't think we're lost, do you? I'd hate to be lost in a wilderness".

"There's nothing to worry about, Miss Prysby," Miss Morgan reassured her. "Crazy Horse is a good guide. He knows the way".

Miss Prysby was amazed at how confident Miss Morgan was now. It put her somewhat at ease; but still Miss Prysby bit her fingernails and kept trying to shift to a more comfortable position, which is hard to do with a pile of kids on your lap. "Surely, we'll have to stop somewhere to eat," she groaned.

Just then, Paul Newman shouted, "Man alive!"

Donny said, "Gosh! It's raining bread".

Miss Prysby caught some and ate it. "Like manna from heaven".

"Yes," said Miss Morgan, "it probably is".

Everybody was gobbling it up. Between gobbles, Mark asked, "What's manna?"

"Well," said Miss Prysby, "it's usually just a figure of speech. But since we're approaching the Nile, this just may be the real thing. I certainly don't know what else it could be. Probably some sort of local phenomenon, due to the climate and everything. You see, long ago, there was a man name Moses, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt".

Mark asked, "How many kids did Israel have?"

"Oh, many, many kids," answered Miss Prysby.

"As many kids as our class?"

"Oh, more, many more than that".

"Gosh," said Donny.

"And Moses led the children of Israel across the Red Sea".

Mark asked, "Were they in Redland, like us, Miss Prysby?"

"No," explained Miss Prysby, "they were in exile in Egypt".

Donny asked, "Did they send notes to each other on an exile-ophone?"

"No, I don't think so. But they did finally leave their place of exile and head for their promised homeland".

"Gosh," said Donny, "everybody's looking for Home or Ome".

They all started looking for the children of Israel.

But Miss Prysby explained, "That was a long, long time ago".

Mark asked, "You mean they're all grown up now?"

"Yes, I suppose they are. You see, after they crossed the Red Sea, they wandered lost in the wilderness for forty years".

Eugene said, "I guess it's like in Winthrop -- without any street signs or anything".

"Yes, I suppose it was," Miss Prysby agreed. "But they finally found their promised land".

"Did they live happily ever after?" asked Gaynell.

"For a while, yes. But what I started to tell you was that while they were in the wilderness, a bread-like substance they called 'manna' rained on them, and it was that that kept them alive through their long journey".

Cindy said, "That's a good story, Miss Prysby".

"I thought you'd enjoy it. History is full of good stories. Some people say that history repeats itself, and that's why we should read it. That's a silly idea, what with the way things change and people learn and progress and everything. But history's got so many good stories that there's really no need to think up reasons for reading it. When we get back to school, maybe you'll want to read some".

"Gosh," said Donny, "what a big mouth".

Miss Prysby was taken aback that Donny would say a thing like that about her. She didn't know what to say, until she saw the mouth herself -- a huge wide-open mouth, swallowing manna. "That must be the mouth of the Nile," she said.

Donny said, "It's a whale's mouth, and there's somebody inside".

"Oh," said Miss Prysby, "that must be Jonah".

"No," said the person in the whale. "My name is Joan, and this is the Ark. Haven't you ever heard of Joan of Noah's Ark?"

Miss Prysby explained, "Long, long ago, there was a great flood that covered the whole earth. Some people say that it happened because people were evil".

"What's 'evil,' Miss Prysby?" asked Mark.

"That's when people are naughty all the time," explained Miss Prysby.

Eugene asked, "What was wrong with them. Were they disenchanted or something?"

"That's one way of putting it. Probably, they were bored and disenchanted, and that was what made them naughty. But there were a few people who weren't that way. Noah was one of them. He built a big boat called the 'Ark' and took aboard two of every animal he could find. And when the flood came, he and his family and the animals just sailed away and had a long boat ride".

"That sounds like fun," said Cindy.

"When the flood went down, they went ashore and started the world all over again," Miss Prysby added.

Cindy asked, "What happened to all the other people?"

"They drowned."

"Euh! That's awful".

"If you'll just step aside," said Joan, "I'll let down the gangplank and let the gang out. It's suppertime, and they're all very hungry".

Thousands upon thousands of animals came rushing out -- two of every kind imaginable.

"The whale comes here every time he and his friends get hungry," explained Joan. "And they get hungry often -- so often that some people call him 'the mouth of the Nile.'"

Gaynell recited,

"Egghead south to the mouth

of the Nile

and find the tooth

the whole tooth

and nothing but the tooth

for smiles and smiles

till suffer-time".

She was very proud that she still remembered all of the witch's poem.

Soon all the kids were playing with the animals. Linda Crotty was talking to a friendly little pig. Donny was letting an owl try on his brand-new glasses. Timmy was sliding down the trunk of an elephant. Kevin and Joey were climbing all over the whale.

Kevin said, "Maybe this is that big white whale that Sinbad the Sailor was looking for".

"I don't know that story," said Miss Prysby, "but I do know one about a man named Ahab".

"What happened to Ahab?" asked Kevin.

"He drowned".

"That's not a very good story," said Kevin. "Sinbad just kept having more and more adventures. I bet he's still having adventures".

Donny walked up to Miss Prysby with his owl; and with glasses on, the owl looked very human. "Miss Prysby," said Donny, "maybe this is like Circus Island, and these are all really people who were turned into animals".

"That sounds like reincarnation," said Miss Prysby.

"Is that some kind of milk?" asked Donny.

"No, it means being born again. You see, some people think that all animals were once people and all people were once animals. They say that every living thing has a soul and feelings -- just like the Little Blue Wallflower -- and people should be careful not to hurt them".

Gaynell was riding a unicorn, and Kathy had found a white charger and was looking all over for its rider. It all seemed strangely familiar to Miss Morgan, as if she had been here before.

Everything was turning out so well. The whale would take the class to Ome, and everybody would live happily ever after.

Crazy Horse and Sue said their good-byes, "We give 'em music. Music mighty strong medicine". And they started singing, "Joshua at the Battle of Jericho . . . and the walls came tumbling down". The class knew the words this time, so they all joined in.