Chapter 3: Arrival and Meeting the Duke
As this was to be their first night spent with their host, the imperial family spent the short remainder of the voyage doing everything they could to look presentable upon their arrival. The Magistrate put on his smartest robe, while Tai-Tai fussed over Ba-Do, Luk-Do and Huang-Do with various perfumes and makeups. "Hold still, Ba-Do!" she ordered, dabbing at her eldest daughter's cheek with a powder-puff.
"Mama, I'm fine! It's not as if I'm getting married, you know!" Ba-Do cried out exasperatedly.
"I know, dear, but could you please just grin and bear it? It's for your father's friend, after all."
Ba-Do sighed in defeat. "Yes, Mama."
Sagwa, meanwhile, had put on her great-great-great-grandmother's special collar to wear for the evening. It was still just as ragged as it had been the day she received it, but she felt proud to wear such an important heirloom on an equally important occasion. "How do I look, Nai-Nai?" she asked her grandmother.
"Very mature, Sagwa," Nai-Nai beamed. "Our ancestor would be so proud to see her legacy live on through you."
"Are you sure you don't wanna spruce it up a little?" asked Sheegwa. "Tie some ribbons on it; now that would be pretty!"
Sagwa chuckled. "No, Sheegwa. As much as I like the idea, I'd rather stay true to our family tradition. This collar may not be the seventh wonder it once was, but it's still just as precious." At that very moment, they heard the the ship's whistle, followed by three more. "We must have reached our port of call," said Baba, standing up and heading for the doorway. "Come on, everyone."
Sure enough, as the cats joined their masters on the deck, the ship was being guided into a small port by three tugboats. "Here we are," the Magistrate announced. "Arlesburgh. From what the Duke has told me in his letters, this is the toast of the Island's western coast."
"I didn't know the Magistrate could read other languages!" whispered Sagwa, amazed.
"He can't," Mama replied. "He just has someone translate for him. I wouldn't be surprised if the Duke does the same thing."
As the imperial family made their way down the gangplank and stepped out onto the quay, the Miao siblings gazed at their new surroundings. Sodor really was quite different from China: the boats in the harbour, the architecture, even people's clothes stood out. All this made the kittens feel rather uneasy at first, but they calmed down when they picked up the familiar scent of fish from some nearby nets. And when the dock-workers smiled at them in a kind, welcoming way, they began to feel a bit more at home.
The Magistrate led his family to the platform of a nearby railway station. He pulled a photograph from the sleeve of his robe, and looked this way and that. "Well?" said Tai-Tai impatiently.
"I don't know what to make of it, dear," replied the Magistrate, examining the picture carefully. "The Duke said he would meet us here, but he's nowhere in sight."
"Well, he'd better show up soon," Dongwa whispered to his sisters, "because these people are starting to creep me out!" He had every right to feel that way: several people on the platform had noticed the newcomers, and were now goggling and pointing at them with interest. The Magistrate managed an awkward wave, bow and "How do you do?" back to them, but the rest of the group shrank away nervously. Maybe this is how Signore Polo and Sir Richard felt, when they first came to our village, Sagwa thought to herself.
Just then, a whistle sounded in the distance, and barely a minute later, a train drew into the station. It came gently to a halt, and out from one of the coaches stepped the most peculiar-looking man the kittens had ever seen. He was dressed in a bright black coat, which was longer at the back than it was at the front. And on his head, he wore a tall, funny sort of hat.
The Magistrate stared at the man in surprise, glanced at his photograph again, then smiled broadly. "Sir Henry!" he exclaimed, bowing in respect to him. "How wonderful to see you again, after such a long time!"
"Your Magistrate!" said the man, striding towards the group and bowing back. "It gives me great honour to welcome you to the Island of Sodor! Let me buy you all your tickets; we have so much to talk about!" Before Sagwa knew what was happening, the Duke had purchased train tickets for everyone (including herself, her family and Tai-Tai's Sleeve Dogs) and whisked them into his private saloon coach, whilst he went to stow their luggage away in the guard's van. No sedan chairs? she thought. Wow! This Duke knows how to get around!
A quarter of an hour later, as the train headed back out of the station, the Magistrate introduced his family to the Duke. "Ah, yes," the Duke said graciously, "the four 'little lotus flowers' you've told me so much about. Charmed to make your acquaintances, m'ladies."
"And yours, Your Grace!" Tai-Tai replied grandly, while the daughters all giggled.
The kittens pawed at the Duke's trouser leg and meowed politely. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "And these must be your young scribes-in-training!"
"Actually, old friend," put in the Magistrate, motioning to the kittens as he spoke, "Dongwa here is more of a martial-arts-master-in-training. Sagwa, on the other hand, takes after the most renowned of her ancestors when it comes to writing. She's the finest scribe cat of her generation."
Sheegwa jumped onto the Duke's knee and nuzzled against him. "Hmm," he remarked. "Seems this little one's taken a shine to me."
"You mean little Sheegwa?" asked Tai-Tai. "Oh yes, she's very affectionate."
The Duke smiled fondly down at the tiny kitten. "Well then, Sheegwa, how would you like to be my little travelling companion up to Ulfstead?" Sheegwa purred happily and lay down in his lap. "I'll take that as a 'yes'!" the Duke chuckled, stroking her fur.
"Goody four-shoes!" Dongwa muttered enviously.
"Hey! How d'ya think we feel?!" snapped Pong, as he, Ping and Pang poked their heads out from Tai-Tai's sleeves.
"Yeah!" agreed Ping. "Ignored by our own mistress! Oh, the shame of it!" Sagwa and Dongwa just laughed.
As the train rumbled slowly but surely along, the imperial family chatted with their host about this and that. Sagwa couldn't help but glow with pride when the Magistrate told the Duke how she had changed him for the better, when she fell into an inkpot and blotted out a crucial part of his unjust rule against singing. When she wasn't tuned in to their conversations, she'd be marvelling at the view outside the coach: a bright blue sky; pretty little cottages; lush, green fields; herds of sheep grazing everywhere. For one heart-stopping moment, she wondered what had become of Fu-Fu; but when he suddenly came into view and gave her a cheerful wave-only to crash into a signal-she was able to giggle to herself and relax once again.
When the railway started to climb into a mountain range, Sagwa's attention turned to the sound of the locomotive up in front of the train. As it forged ahead, its exhaust beat grew louder and louder, as if it was becoming more and more determined to make it up the hill. She could have sworn she heard a confident voice intertwined with the steady puffing, chanting, "I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!"
Trains can't talk, Sagwa thought, bewildered. Or can they?