Basil and the Pygmy Cats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Eve Titus
Illustrated by Paul Galdone

(c) 1971 by Eve Titus and Paul Galdone

8
The Sacred Catfish
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A short walk brought us to a pool. Basil threw pebbles into it to lure the catfish to the surface, and soon a huge head appeared.

Ugh! The head was quite large and, to us, revoltingly ugly, for it strongly resembled the head of an English tomcat. I noted the big, wide mouth, the great staring eyes. The barbels, four at each side of the nostrils, looked like cats' whiskers.

"Species bagarius yarrelli," whispered Basil. "Non-electric. Eel-like body may attain a length of six feet. Adapts to marshes and muddy waters."

"Who wishes to consult the Sacred Catfish?" asked a deep, solemn voice in flawless English.

"Basil of Baker Street," calmly replied my friend.



"Ah! The Sherlock Holmes of the Mouse World! You are reputed to be brilliant in many fields. What do you say to a few tests of your knowledge?"

"Fire away!" said Basil. "I'll test yours, too."

The catfish grinned. "Many words start with cat, a syllable shunned by mice. Define category."

"A category is a classification of ideas of things," said Basil. "Your turn--what is a catalog?"

"A list of items, often arranged alphabetically, in booklet form. What's a catboat, Basil?"

"A one-masted boat with a single sail," said my friend. "Where are Catania and Catanzaro?"

"Catania is in Sicily, Catanzaro in Italy. Where is the Catawba River, Basil?"

"In North Carolina, U.S.A. Catawba is also a variety of grape. Tell me, what is catopsis?"

"Unusually keen vision. Define cataphasia, Basil."

The detective did not hesitate. "Cataphasia is a speech disorder in which a word or a phrase is constantly repeated, repeated, repeated, repeated--"

"Touché!" cried the catfish. "Enough! The reports of your brilliance are not exaggerated. Now you may tell me why you came to consult me."

"I seek the Island of the Pygmy Cats," said Basil.

"I'll give you a clue--think of King Darius! With your deductive powers the clue should lead you to another clue, and then to the island you seek."

Basil bowed. "Sacred Catfish, I thank you. At the moment the clue puzzles me, but no doubt some serious thinking will enlighten me. Before we go, is there anything I can do to repay your kindness?"

"Do you have any catnip?" asked the catfish. "I've heard of this herb but have never tasted it."

"I always carry some for emergencies, and it shall be yours. But I must warn you, Sacred Catfish, that it will turn you--temporarily, of course--into a flighty, foolish creature."

"Basil, we all need some nonsense now and then. I spend all my time thinking deep thoughts and practicing my seven languages. I'd rather like to be silly for a change--temporarily, of course."

"Then so be it," declared Basil, and cast his catnip on the waters.

The catfish nibbled daintily at first. Then, savoring the flavor, he gobbled greedily away.

We soon saw a weird and startling spectacle.

The dignified catfish reared up and stood on his tail, then hopped and skipped and jumped around the pond, talking all the while in his deep voice.

"Fabulous! Fantastic! Such a frightfully funny feeling! Frivol and frolick! Roister and rollick! Such frisky foolery! Such droll folderol!"

The eyes rolled from side to side, the big mouth grinned, the huge body bounced about. At last the effect of the catnip wore off.

"Suddenly I'm sleepy," said the creature. "But before I leave you, I'll prove that I speak seven languages by saying farewell in all seven--French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Danish, and English ADIEU! ADIÓS! ADDIO! AUF WIEDERSEHEN! SAYONARA! FARVEL! Good-bye!"

The catfish winked at Basil. "Remember King Darius! Not too far away! Farewell, gallant mice!"

And he flipped his tail and sank out of sight.

Basil was silent all the way back to the beach, pondering the problem. We did not interrupt but rowed toward the yacht silently.

Suddenly he cried, "Eureka! I have it! I'll confer with the Captain at once."

When we boarded the yacht, Basil left us.

Young Richard stood on deck, chatting with Jeannie. She was in a happy mood, for she was going home.

"Young Richard is a darling!" she said. "He looked up lots of undersea charts and drew a special diagram for me. I've memorized it."

"She'll be home tomorrow night," said Richard.

"Never had a sense of direction, but my memory's fine," declared Jeannie. "I'll keep looking at the charts in my mind's eye. All of you, be sure to visit me in Scotland and meet my family. 'Bye!"

Smiling two heavenly smiles, and fluttering all her eyelashes, Jeannie submerged, and was gone.



Lord Adrian sighed. "Bonnie lass--we'll miss her winsome ways. Maybe someday we'll visit her."

"What?" said Cherbou. "As guests of the Loch Ness monsters?"

"Why not? Monster is as monster does!"

"Well-said!" remarked Basil, who had just come up on deck. "Gather 'round, fellow-mice. I'll tell you the tale of King Darius."

"Man or mouse?" inquired Dr. Wolff, winking broadly.

"Man, Persian. I'm glad he wasn't a Persian cat, for he ruled Persia over two thousand years ago and built up a vast empire. He had the story of his deeds cut into a cliff. On top were huge carved figures of Darius and a few of his subjects."

Basil paused. "The clue the Sacred Catfish gave me was puzzling until I deduced that it must refer to an island with a cliff, one not too far away. Captain Black knows of two such islands nearby, and we're on our way to one right now."

"It seems so simple when you explain your methods," I said. "Yet none of us had any idea of what the clue meant. Basil, you're a wizard!"

He bowed. "I observe, I analyze, I deduce."

When I awoke the next morning, Basil had already left the cabin. I hurried on deck. He stood at the rail and thrust his spyglass at me.

"An amazing view, Dawson. See for yourself!"

Eagerly I peered through the glass. In the distance was a low, grassy island dominated by a steep cliff at one end. On the front face of the cliff I saw a huge stone figure, clearly a mouse, seated on a throne carved into the rock. And beneath the throne was a long inscription!

"Like Darius," said Basil, "King Elyod had his story cut into a cliff. There I hope to find the second clue mentioned by the Sacred Catfish!"

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