306: The Council Meeting (Part 1)

Blinky and Nutsy meet the Mayor of the Pelicans, and attend a meeting as his guests.

Blinky Bill and Nutsy was first published in 1937, and as such it contains material that might be outdated, inaccurate or offensive, as well as material that would now be considered quite dark for children’s fiction. Aside from language that Madame Magpie is personally uncomfortable using, the text has been left as it was originally published. There is no bad language, but below is a list of potentially distressing content that appears in this episode:

• Threats of corporal punishment: the Mayor threatens to remove the nose of a disgruntled pelican attendee.
  “Your nose is too long!” the mayor shouted amid the uproar. “Aldermen, see that his nose is decapitated.”
  The aldermen hastily scribbled in large books that hung around their necks: “One nose—decapitate.”
• Corporal punishment: Old Lady Pelican interrupts the Mayor by giving him a whack on his beak.
  'The widows ignored the remarks, and an old lady pelican stepped out from the rest. Advancing towards the mayor she astounded every one by rapping him sharply on the bill.'

Madame Magpie’s Bedtime Stories will always be available to stream for free, but if you’d like to support the podcast, you can do so via Patreon at patreon.com/MadameMagpie. For $3/month, Patreon members can download episodes for offline listening. 

Blinky Bill was written and illustrated by Dorothy Wall, first published by Angus & Robertson in 1933. Sound effects are from Zapsplat, Epidemic Sound, Pixabay, Soundly and Dylan Barfield. 

All images are made by Josh Dykgraaf using Dorothy Wall's original illustrations. Madame Magpie is a creation of Alix Roberts. Narration and character voices by Alix Roberts.

Madame Magpie’s Bedtime Stories are recorded and edited by Alix Roberts (aka Madame Magpie) on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunarong Peoples of the Kulin nation. Madame Magpie acknowledges the rich and extensive history of storytelling among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and pays her respects to past and present elders of all nations.

Transcript

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Hello everyone. My name is Madame Magpie, and I'm here to tell you a story. This story is called Blinky Bill and Nutsi by Dorothy Wall. Chapter four The Council Meeting Part One You shout at them, Nutsi ordered. You've got the biggest voice. Gee up! Blinky yelled. Hip hip hooray! That's done it, Natsy said, as dozens of pelicans ceased paddling about in the water, and all, as if by command, faced the intruders with looks of great surprise. Caught anything? Blinky shouted, waving a paw. The pelicans just looked all the harder. They seemed rooted in the water. How's the fishing going? Blinky asked at the top of his voice. You're too cheeky, Natsy said, poking him in the side. Ask them politely. No, keep quiet and I'll ask. May we come and see you, Mr and Mrs. Pelicans? Natsy called as loudly as she could. Who are you? came the guttural reply, as the largest pelican of all advanced to meet the Koalas. Only Nutsy and Blinky the Koalis responded. I'm none the wiser, the big bird said, shaking his head from side to side as he met the strangers. We're friends, Natsy said meekly, holding her breath as she looked up at the huge bird with that very large bill. Do you mind telling me what's in your scooper? Blinky asked, as he eyed the great pouch attached to the pelican's bill. Nothing, the pelican replied, and to show them how true it was, he opened his mouth to its widest. Oh Natsu gasped. Gosh! Blinky exclaimed. With a snap, the pelican closed his mouth so quickly and decidedly that the two little koalas jumped with fright. Don't open your gate again, Blinky said, when he had at last recovered his self-composure. Be quiet, Natsy hissed, giving Blinky's foot a kick. He could swallow us in one gulp. Now you see what the day's fishing has been like, the Pelican remarked. And we're holding a meeting tonight to discuss the whys and whatnots of it all. May we come? Nutzy asked excitedly. We'll be very quiet. The Pelican looked at her for a minute, tilting his head on one side, then on the other, eyeing her with curiosity. They're strictly private, our meetings, he said at last. Only the aldermen are admitted. I'm the mayor, as no doubt you can see by my large paunch, and it all rests on me, whether I say yes or no. How important? Nazi said admiringly. Couldn't you take us to the meeting as guests? Spose I could, if it came to a scratch, the Pelican replied, still looking very thoughtfully at the two little koalas. You'll have to be prepared for a rumpus, he said warningly. And if there is one, it's a case of every man for himself. What happens to all the womans? Nutzy interjected. They're crushed to death, Blinky replied immediately. No such thing, the Pelican said with annoyance. Women are not admitted to our council meetings. They're held in camera. Do you mean to tell me you all sit in a camera? Blinky asked in amazement. Yes, that's so, the Pelican replied, puffing out the pouch in his bill. For goodness sake, don't open the gate again, Blinky said excitedly. Shh. Natsy scowled at him. And who takes the photos? Blinky asked, returning to the former discussion. What photos? The Pelican asked. When you're all sitting in the camera, he replied. Well, upon my soul, you're goofy, the Pelican retorted. Don't you know what sitting in camera means? Well, really. I didn't think it possible. Here the Pelican opened his mouth and gave a terrific yawn. Look out! You'll break the hinges! Blinky shouted as he quickly edged away. The Pelican ignored his remark completely. But coming right over to where Blinky was standing, half in and half out of a prickly bush, he snapped his bill at him and asked very crossly, Didn't your mother send you to school? No, I wouldn't go, Blinky shouted, trying to cover up his nervousness by making as much noise as possible. That explains it, the Pelican said coldly. That's why you don't know what sitting in camera means. For goodness sake, tell me, and don't talk so much, Blinky retorted. He was clearly annoyed. It means sitting behind closed doors, the Pelican replied. And what a smack you'd get if someone suddenly opened it, Blinky said with a sneer. No closed doors for me. You're worse than I thought you were, the Pelican said with disgust. I've no more time to waste on such silly, simpering people. Taking a huge watch from under his wing, he shook it violently, then looked at its face. By Jove, he exclaimed, the meeting will have started if I don't get a hurry on. Do let us come, Nutsi pleaded. I'll see that Plinky behaves himself, Mr. Pelican. Mr Mare, if you please, the Pelican said, looking sternly at the two koalas. I beg your pardon. You see, you're the first mare I've ever met in my life. That's quite understandable, the Pelican replied. Mares are very rare. So, taking it for granted that they were to be admitted to the meeting, the koalas followed the pelican round the edge of the lake to a secluded swamp fringed with tall reeds. Here, thousands of pelicans had foregathered, and the snapping and scraping of beaks made a noise like a gale in the trees. As the mare appeared, all those hundreds and hundreds of pelicans opened their mouths to their full extent and snapped three times. If there's that thing the mare called a rumpus, for goodness sake, keep away from their snappers! Blinky whispered to Nutzy. We'd be cracked in halves like walnuts. Twenty superior-looking pelicans stood in a semicircle, to the centre of which the mayor advanced. Are the aldermen's wives at home? The mayor solemnly asked before commencing business. Yes, your worship came the chorus. Then we'll open the meeting, the mayor announced with great dignity. Blinky heard a reed rustle close to where he and Nutsi were sitting on a water-worn stump of mangrove tree. Quickly looking in that direction, he saw many eyes peering through the reeds. They're the wives, he whispered to Nutsi. Will I tell the mare? Course not, Natsy replied indignantly. Mind your own business. Just at that moment the mare wrapped his large webbed foot on the stone that served as a table. Off we go, he shouted. Any complaints barring the usual one of pilfering fish? Such a clamour arose. So many bills snapped and opened that it was impossible to hear an intelligible remark. Order, order, the mare shouted, while the twenty aldermen began to mark time rapidly with their large webbed feet. Squish, squash, squish, squash. They pancaked the mud. Stop that squelching! The mare shouted. They're the cause of all the trouble? Several angry pelicans screamed. What? Why? How? The mare asked above the noise. They're the cause of the famine, the others shouted. Playing the organ all day long in the swamp, kneading the bread just where the mud's the thickest, until the fish all swim away. And no respectable pelican can wade in up to his knees without becoming covered in mud. What about our bills? Someone shouted above the uproar. Yes! came a chorus of shouts. What about our bills? What about them? The mare shouted. Do you think we're all mudlarks? Someone else shouted. Our pouches were made to catch fish in, not scoops for mud. Anyone would think we were two-legged dredges. Sit down, the mare ordered, or I'll close the meeting. And a jolly good job if you did! A pelican in the back row shouted. What about the frog banquet you and the alderman had last night? A tiny, skinny, molting pelican piped. Your nose is too long! The mare shouted amid the uproar. Alderman, see that his nose is decapitated! The aldermen hastily scribbled in large books that hung around their necks. One nose. Decapitate. Shame! Shame! Came a chorus of cries. Next complaint! The mayor demanded, snapping his beak so that Nutsy and Blinky jumped with nervousness. He'll break his snapper for sure, Blinky whispered. What about relief for the widows? Someone asked. Bother the widows? The mayor mumbled under his breath. Aloud, he asked, Can anyone suggest something? I can, came a squeaky voice from behind the reeds. All you fat aldermen, the mare included, go out and catch some fish for us poor widows. The mare puffed his pouch out with indignation. The very idea, he exclaimed. He shouted. How did women get into this meeting? They're the widows, someone called. And we're not responsible for them. Make them go themselves, the alderman shouted. They're always stirring up trouble. That's a jolly good idea, the mayor declared. Pointing to the reeds, he called out in a loud voice. Widows, stand before me. With a rush, the reeds parted in all directions. And out marched a hundred widows. Eavesdroppers! The mare hissed at them as they stood too deep in front of him. Traitors, the aldermen whispered to one another. The widows ignored the remarks, and an old lady Pelican stepped out from the rest. Advancing towards the mare, she astounded everyone by rapping him sharply on the bill. Look here, my lad, she exclaimed. Frog banquets, eel snacks, and all the rest of it. Cut it out, or you'll go. What do you want? The mare asked, looking very subdued. Equal rights, the old lady shouted. No puddling in squashy mud holes, no sitting in the background while you and the aldermen fish in the best and cleanest water. Give us permission to hold a fishing party now. Hear here the other ninety-nine widows screeched. And we want a permanent fishing ground, the old lady Pelican demanded. None of your fished out pools and corners with half a dozen tadpoles in them, she cried. Give them the weedy end of the lake, an alderman whispered to the mare, who seemed to be speechless with anger and surprise. He nodded his head upon hearing this advice. Madam, he said, in an icy tone, you and the rest of the widows can have the south end of the lake. It's full of weeds, the old lady shouted. Take it or leave it, the mayor thundered, now regaining his self-composure. And in future, he added, to the whole of the meeting, you others keep away from that part of the lake. Those are the widow's weeds. I'll have no arguments, the matters closed. And to emphasize his words, snap went his beak. And so, to this day, that particular part of the lake is known as the Widow's Weeds, and a jolly good fishing ground it is, too. Seeing the determined look in the mare's eyes, the widows wisely said nothing more. But the old lady Pelican, as she was retiring from the meeting, gave one of the aldermen a nasty dig in the side with her beak. Put that down in your book, she hissed. South end of the lake reserved for widows only. And don't let me catch any of you aldermen snooping around. A nasty individual, the mayor whispered to the nearest alderman. The widows tramped as loudly as they could, leaving the meeting, snapping their beaks, tossing their heads, and causing as much commotion as possible. We've avoided a rumpus, the mayor said with relief. And now, gentlemen, we'll discuss the important business of aviation. There's been far too little gliding and soaring going on lately. We must keep our reputation of being the finest soarers in the bird kingdom. Let's follow the widows, Blinky whispered to Natsy. I'm not interested in soaring and nosediving. Are you? I'd like to see them nosedive with those big noses, Natsy remarked regretfully, as she followed Blinky through the reeds. We'll see the real nosediving if we follow the widows, he said excitedly. Keep in the shadows. Old Mother Widow will kill us if she sees us. In and out of the reeds they stumbled and crawled, keeping a safe distance from the widows. Suddenly, the procession halted. What's up now? Blinky asked. Be quiet, Matsy whispered. They're talking. The little koalas crept closer, and peeping through the reeds, saw, to their surprise, a large, flat, sandy clearing at the lake's edge. All the widows lined up with a great deal of chattering and pushing. Contact? The old lady Pelican shouted. My goodness, they're going to fly! Nutzy whispered. The cheek of them, Blinky said crossly. How are we going to follow them? Before they had time to discuss the matter, the old lady Pelican shouted, Saw! And up the whole company of widows went. That's that, Blinky said decidedly. Look at them! Nutsy exclaimed. Aren't they wonderful? The little bears were held spellbound as they watched the great birds soar higher and higher, with the most effortless, noiseless, and graceful action. Then away, away to the south they flew in formation. Oh now we can't see the fishing party! Blinky wailed. Yes we can! Yes we can! Natsy cried, dancing up and down.

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Look!

SPEAKER_00 20:49

They've landed again! And sure enough they had, but it was fully a mile away. Come on, let's hurry, Blinky said, scrambling ahead. Round the lake they bustled and into the reeds again, always keeping the widows in sight. It was a long journey for little legs not used to the ground, but the excitement of what lay ahead kept their courage up, and after many rests and many exclamations of ow and bother when they stumbled, they at last came within a few yards of the widow's weeds. That's it for today. Thank you for listening. Sweet dreams. Madam Magpie's bedtime stories will always be available to stream for free. But if you'd like to support the podcast, you can do so via Patreon at patreon.comslash Madam Magpie. That's M-A-D-A-M-E. M-A-G-P-I-E. For$3 a month, Patreon members have the option of downloading episodes for offline listening. Blinky Bill was written and illustrated by Dorothy Wall, first published by Angus and Robertson in 1933. Sound effects are from Zap Splat, Epidemic Sound, Pixabay, Soundly, and Dylan Barfield. All images are made by Josh Dyke Graaff using Dorothy Wall's original illustrations. Madame Magpie is a creation of Alex Roberts. Narration and character voices by Alex Roberts. Madame Magpie's bedtime stories are recorded and edited by Alex Roberts, aka Madame Magpie, on the lands of the Warunderi and Boonerong peoples of the Kulin Nation. Madame Magpie acknowledges the rich and extensive history of storytelling among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and pays her respects to past and present elders of all nations. Madame Magpie spent time stories.