All aboard for the transcribed premiere production, The Cruise of the Palparot, and time to take
up where we left off in the exciting story of whaling days when the good ship, Palparot,
on its return voyage from a treasure hunt is washed ashore on an unknown island of the
South Atlantic during a terrific hurricane.
On one side of the island is Captain Dalton's party, which includes Sue Grange, her brother
Ezra Grange, owner of the Palparot, Johnny Robbins, its brave cabin boy, good old Dickon,
and Palparot himself.
While on the other side of the island, we find the privateer Captain Karsh, his first
mate Briny, and a few of their crew.
Captain Karsh has sworn revenge on Captain Dalton in an effort to secure the diamonds
that our good friends of the Palparot found on Galtow Island.
But now something has happened to Captain Dalton.
After being shot at by savages, Captain Dalton disappeared into thin air.
And when last seen, our good friends from the Palparot, in their search for Captain Dalton,
have been surrounded by these same savages.
Amid the shouts of the savages, Mr. Grange speaks.
Savages!
There must be hundreds of them!
Ezra, you can see them in every tree all around us!
Yes, look!
They all seem to be swinging on those vines and leaving us!
Wainwright, drop that rifle!
Don't fire at them, man, or you'll have a whole bunch down on us!
But I wonder why they're all around us!
We're not going to get away!
We're going to get away!
They're up to some trickery!
Look Ezra, up ahead!
What is it, Sue?
That animal!
It's blinking off in the same direction the savages took!
It's a black leopard!
You're right, Johnny.
And that's the strange part of it.
What's so strange, Evera?
A black leopard in these parts.
We certainly must be somewhere in the South Atlantic to be so close to the Brazilian Indians,
and there are no black leopards out there!
What's so strange, Evera?
We need to be sure that we're not going to get away!
We certainly must be somewhere in the South Atlantic to be so close to the Brazilian Indians,
and there are no black leopards in South America.
So, after many years, Blackie, we have visitors.
White visitors, Blackie, such as our friend here.
Ah, my friend, you are not afraid of Misto, the world's greatest magician, or my black leopard, are you?
You must not be afraid of Blackie. You must not be afraid of me or my savages.
A ship's captain knows no fear, and that I take you to be.
We will not harm you unless you force us to.
All we want is what you have on the boat that has been washed ashore, that we may make use of.
No, we won't harm you, nor will we harm your party.
I'm sorry to keep you tied like this, but so you must remain for a while.
I can't take a chance on him, can I, Blackie?
Ah!
Briny, do you hear what I hear?
Blow me down, Cache. I hear what I hear, but I don't know if it's the same thing you hear.
Those are savage drums, Briny. I heard them once before when I was in the Brazilian jungle.
And for the part of the same tribe that lives in the Brazilian jungle,
we got more to worry about than I thought you may lay to that.
Once on a trip around the southern coast of Africa, I went with a party into the African jungles, I did.
And as bad as the natives were, we made friends with them. So I was just thinking.
What are you getting at?
Only this, me hearty. If we make friends with these natives on the island,
we stand a better chance of doing what we want to do.
Get them diamonds, your friend Captain Dalton's got.
If we don't make friends with them, we'll never get the diamonds.
We'll be lucky to get away with our lives.
That's the chance we take. You ain't afraid, be ye, Captain Cache?
Course I ain't afraid. Bruno Cache ain't afraid of no man.
Of course not. Except one, eh, Captain Cache?
Let's not go into that again, dratcha. Let's stay friends, least wait while we're on this island.
But I don't mind telling you, if we ever get off this island, I hope I never see you again.
Aye, and that goes double. Now come, let's get going.
Where you heading?
For the middle of the jungle, where those sounds come from.
Are you coming or ain't you?
Aye, I'm coming, lead ahead.
Sue, maybe we shouldn't have strayed away so far from the rest of the party.
Maybe not, Johnny, but this is the only way we have of finding out what we want to.
But why did you want to see where that black leopard went to?
Because I think that black leopard will lead us to where that band of savages lives.
And if we find where they live, I'm sure we'll find Captain Dalton.
I think so too, Sue. Look, Sue, this tree here has a lot of low-hanging branches.
What about it?
Well, if we were to climb up this tree, the leaves would hide us and we may be able to see a pretty good distance.
Sure, and maybe we can see where the savage camp is from there.
That's right. I'll climb up first and take a look.
All right, Johnny, and if you see anything, I'll come too.
Here goes.
Can you make it all right?
Yeah, this is easy.
Johnny, Johnny, you're going up awful high.
I've got to to see anything.
I'll get just a little higher and I think I'll be able to see quite a distance.
Can you see anything yet?
Not yet. See, this is just like climbing up in the crow's nest board, Chef.
Never mind that. Can you see anything?
Say, Sue, come on up.
Johnny, what did you see?
Never mind. Come on up and see for yourself.
I'll get up there soon.
Boy, oh boy, it's a good thing we thought of climbing this tree.
There, I made it. Now let me take a look.
Look over there in that direction.
Oh, that must be the camp, all right.
All those natives are sitting down around that fire.
Look at those fellows with the skulls, ox skulls they're wearing for headdress.
Oh, they look awful.
Johnny, look, do you see something funny about those people down there?
What do you mean, Sue?
That man out in front of them. He must be their leader.
Oh, what? He's a white man.
That's what I mean. He's not a savage. He's a white man.
That's funny. Look, Sue, he seems to be waiting for someone.
See how he stands looking toward the other side of the jungle?
Yes, and we were right to follow that leopard.
Look, he's standing right next to the white man rubbing up against his leg.
He must be a tame leopard.
Ah, ah, ah, kitty, kitty, kitty, rawr.
Quiet, Paul. You shouldn't have followed us.
Now be quiet or they'll hear you down there.
Well, if those people captured Captain Dalton, I don't see anything of him.
He may be captive in one of those straw huts over there.
Oh, now I see what that man has been waiting for.
You're right, Sue. There are two men walking from the jungle right toward the natives.
Johnny, look. Look who those two men are.
Say, that's the privateer Captain Karsh.
You're right, Johnny, and that man with him is that first mate of Karsh's.
Yes, sir. The big one with the hook hand.
They don't seem to be very much afraid.
Gosh, if we could only hear what they're saying.
Ah, Blacky, more visitors. But this time they come to us.
You see, we didn't have to capture them. They come to us.
Quiet, Blacky. Where are your manners?
We must treat our guests with a bit more hospitality than that.
Ah, my friends, welcome.
We were shipwrecked.
So I take it, my friends. So I take it.
Ah!
Now, don't be alarmed, my friends. Blacky will not harm you unless I so command it.
That's a black leopard.
You're right, my friend. Then you've seen one before.
Never in these parts before.
You're also right. I brought him to this island.
Wait a minute. Blow me down.
I've seen your face before. And I've seen that leopard before, too.
You have a good memory. It must have been a number of years ago.
So help me it was. Singapore. That's where I seen you. Singapore in a theatre.
You have a good memory.
What's this all about, Briny?
If I remember correct, this lover is a magician. I remember as well.
He did an act with that black leopard there.
He was supposed to make the leopard change places with a man in another cage suspended in the air.
Only the time I see him do it, the leopard changed cages, but the man didn't.
And the leopard clawed the poor blighter to death.
Absolutely correct, my friend. You have a most remarkable memory.
Now you know why I'm here on this island.
I was forced to leave civilization as a matter of survival, shall we say?
But I thought magic was done by tricks.
How could a man get killed by the leopard? Don't the tricks always work?
Yes, they always work. And I want them to.
You mean to say you put the leopard and the man in the same cage of purpose?
Well, blow me down.
Need we go further into the matter?
No, suppose we get down to business. I presume you are here to see about getting your captain released?
What's that?
I shall release him without further harm to any of your crew if you meet my terms.
What are you talking about?
Do you mean to say you've got that blighter Captain Dalton prisoner here?
Whatever his name is, I have.
That's good it is. Sea lawyer Dalton took prisoner.
You seem to enjoy the situation.
Lash me to a yard I might do. True, we was all washed ashore together.
But he ain't my captain, he ain't.
Name your terms, magician, and you can still keep the blooming Captain Dalton if you want to.
Then you are not friends, I take it?
Aye, it takes it right you do. Nothing that pleased me more it wouldn't than to see that wild animal of yours there, claw him to bits.
You must hate the captain quite a lot.
Hate him or no? If you'd seen the poor blighter in Singapore get taught a bit you wouldn't want to.
Tell you what, magician, suppose we go in partners and we'll scuttle the ship.
I do not need partners, my friend. If there is any scuttling to be done, I can do it well myself.
Besides, I don't like your looks, my friend. You are not one to be trusted.
You hold your lip, you blooming magic land lover, I'll...
Ah!
Say, what happened then? Did Karsh make a mistake by speaking so boldly to Misto, the great magician?
Did the leopard get to him? And what will happen if he does?
Would Misto allow Blackie to claw Captain Karsh to death? And how about Captain Dalton?
Of course, Johnny and Sue are in the tree seeing everything that's going on, but what good will it do?
Will they be able to think of some plan to rescue Captain Dalton?
Well, sir, the answer to all these questions may be in the next transcribed episode of The Cruise of the Paul Parrot.
Be sure to listen for it. Until then, this is your Paul Parrot announcer, Dave Ward, saying goodbye.