The Great Galloon and the Pirate Queen by Tom Banks Page B

That’s agognished alright.’
    â€˜So?’ said Stanley.
    â€˜So what?’
    â€˜I am agognished to hear that you heard a conversation on the Examinator while I was asleep. Let’s read it.’
    â€˜Oh, right. Yes. I’ll be the girl. She seemed nice.’
    Stanley held up the book and they read the conversation.
    Girl: Hello, hello, anybody out there?
    Boy: (grumpily) Of course there’s no-one out there. We’re forty fathoms underwater. Come away from the window.
    Girl: Okay, let’s try the wireless again then.
    Boy: I could have sworn I heard someone snoring just then.
    Girl: A snordfish?
    Boy: Maybe. Hello, hello, is there anyone out there who isn’t a fish?
    Girl: Nope, nothing again. Best cover it up again in case the Boss comes in.
    Boy: Captain Zebediah? Or … her?
    Girl: No, she’s too busy on the bridge, poring over that map of hers. Looking for El Bravado, and getting cross with everyone no doubt.
    Boy: Well, they do call her the ‘Irate Queen’.
    Girl: ‘Pirate Queen’, Ragnarsson. They call her the ‘Pirate Queen’.
    Boy: Oh. Right. That makes more sense. Sorry, Sidney. Cup of tea?
    Stanley put down the notebook.
    â€˜Corks,’ he said. ‘We’d better tell the Captain about this. The Parrot Queen indeed. We’ll have to watch out for her stealing our nuts and so on.’
    â€˜â€œPirate Queen”, Stanley Crumplehorn. It says “Pirate Queen”,’ said Rasmussen.
    â€˜Oh. Right. That makes more sense. Sorry, Rasmussen. Cup of tea?’ said Stanley.
    â€˜Yes,’ said Rasmussen, ‘but then we definitely should go and tell the Captain, straight away.’
    â€˜Oh yeah!’ said Stanley. ‘Straight after tea.’
    â€˜And a biscuit,’ said Rasmussen.
    â€˜Of course! And maybe a quick game of snakes and hopscotch.’
    â€˜But then we’ll tell him straight away.’
    â€˜Definitely. Won’t waste a moment.’
    As she spoke, Rasmussen twiddled a nob on the Examinator. Stanley knew she meant to turn it off, but it went the wrong way, and a noise caught their attention. A rhythmic thumping noise. It was like the sound your heartbeat makes in your ears when you’re embarrassed or worn out, except that it changed tempo, and occasionally paused, in a way that would have sent Stanley running to a doctor if his heartbeat had done anything similar.
    â€˜Thump-a-Dang-BonkBonk. Thump-a-Dang-CLANK Bonk. Thump-a-Dang-BonkBonk.
Pause
Ker-Dang-Bonk Bonk-DerDUNK!’
    â€˜Hmm,’ said Rasmussen, her ear pressed to the little square of mesh where sound came out. ‘It sounds almost like …’
    â€˜STANLEY DEAR, ARE YOU THERE? IT’S YOUR MOTHER CALLING! TIME FOR LESSONS!’
    This last came through at an earsplitting volume, because Rasmussen had turned the heavy brass knob round to eleven. She flung herself onto Stanley’s bed, and slapped her hands over her ears. Her face was a picture of terror for a second, and Stanley laughed aloud.
    â€˜Oh there you are, dear,’ said his mother. ‘Something funny?’
    â€˜Yes, Mum,’ said Stanley, as Rasmussen’s face took on its familiar look of thunder.
    â€˜Good af’noon, Missus Crumplehorn missus,’ she said, in a quick, polite mumble.
    â€˜But, Mu-uuum,’ said Stanley. ‘I’m too busy for lessons! We’ve got to find the Sumbaroon, and work out what the “Thump-a-dunk noises” are, and who we keep hearing on the Examinator!’
    â€˜Very nice, dear, I’m sure,’ said his mother. ‘But that sounds like the kind of thing the Captain is very good at. We need to run through some lessons. Map reading, traditional percussion music of forest peoples, the geography of river deltas, and electronic engineering, specifically as it pertains to radio waves.’
    â€˜But,