“Can we start now?” Lemmy asked breathlessly.
“It’s high time to be off. Swing yourself down and I’ll catch you.”
Lemmy ensconced Nippy quickly in the little perforated box which he always kept in his pocket for him; then he swung himself from the wall straight into the Cap’n’s arms. It seemed so natural and safe to be walking along Outside, ahold of a Majishun’s hand.
Down the hill they went with never a look behind at those gray walls, for their eyes were fixed upon the great lake, Superior, pulsing now under the wonder touch of the southwest wind, shimmering all the colors of the opal. There lay the boats poking up their brightly painted smokestacks for folks to see. Down, down, and down, such a short way, and yet, the wonderful farness of it!
“Here we are at the docks—the Northern Star waiting for us,” the Cap’n announced presently.
Lemmy swung along a little faster, for there in full sight were the high ore docks stretching far, far into the water. Of course they had been “majicked” there. Thus the wonder of them was explained.
The Cap’n lifted him to his shoulder and walked along the abutment to one of the biggest freighters nosing the end of the dock.
“All aboard the Northern Star,” the Cap’n said, giving him a lift up the ladder.
Lemmy climbed like a little monkey, as fast as he could, for fear he wouldn’t really get aboard.
Straight up to the bridge the Cap’n took him. “You can see us load up from here. Keep your eyes open and many a sight you’ll see.” Lemmy heard the Cap’n’s words as if in a dream. He looked wonderingly about him.
On top of the high dock he could see cars full of reddish, yellowish chunks which the Cap’n called iron ore. Hurrying about everywhere were the dock workers, smudged from head to foot with pigment which gave them the look of pirates. With quick calls these men loosened the doors in the bottoms of the cars to let the ore rattle down into the big pockets in the dock. But nearer at hand something more engrossing was happening. Deck-hands aboard the Northern Star were opening the hatches. All along the deck of the freighter the hatchways yawned ready for the load of ore. There was a great rattle of cables from above, and down came the chutes into the hatchways. Lemmy could see the men on the dock poking long poles into the pockets to set the ore sliding. The first chunks struck the bottom of the hold thunderingly and then heavy masses came sliding down the chutes with a steady, rushing sound which thrilled Lemmy like nothing he had ever heard before. It was not long before the big freighter was loaded full of the ore, and one after another the long chutes were drawn back into place against the dock. When the men set about closing the hatchways, the Cap’n took Lemmy below to see his quarters.