The Viking's Helmet Old Jack's Boat

FOGHORN BLOWS

WIND BLOWS

SEAGULLS CRY

Ah! Good day to you.

# This is the place to be For Salty Dog and me

# Down by the harbour We'll be there

# Round every corner there's something to share

# Give us a cheer Our friends are here

# Just Salty Dog and me. #

Ha-ha, come on, Salty!

# This is the place to meet

# Down at the end of the street

# Seagulls flying up in the blue

# There's always a cup of tea waiting for you

# Out in the sun having some fun Just Salty Dog and me

# Haul away, haul away Sing the song of the sea

# Hoist the sail, I'll tell you a tale of Salty Dog and me

# This is the place to go And these are the people we know

# The village is busy with things to see

# And there's the Rainbow down by the quay

# There's stories to tell, join us as well, just Salty Dog and me. #

MOBILE PHONE RINGS

Lovely day to be out and about, Salty, isn't it?

Oh, look at that. There's a banana.

Somebody must've dropped it. You see that?

-CHUCKLES

-Hello!

There's another one!

That's amazing - two bananas.

Look at that! There's another one.

That's one, two, three bananas!

Look at that, Salty!

I wonder where they've all come from.

Not raining bananas... No.

Come on.

Oh, Jack. What are you going to do with that lot?

We found them. Someone must have dropped them.

-Not yours, are they?

-No! Oh, and a shopping bag, too!

Perhaps the bananas belong in there, eh?

-Come on, Salty. We'll see if we can solve the mystery.

-See you later.

Bye-bye.

Come on, up you go! That's the girl. Ooh, my knees...!

Go on, good girl.

Miss Bowline-Hitch! Are you there?

Oh, come on in, Jack! Oh! My bananas!

I wondered whose they were. Are you all right?

SIGHS Oh, Jack, I've had a bit of a shock.

I'd done all my grocery shopping, and I'd stopped for a snack,

so I reached in my bag for a banana, and... Oh! It was horrible!

-Horrible?

-Yes!

My hand felt something...hairy.

Well, I was so surprised I threw the bag into the air

and the bananas flew everywhere!

Then I dashed off home as quickly as I could.

Well, what was it that scared you so much?

Some sort of nasty, hairy creature.

-You didn't see it, did you?

-No, no.

-It must've escaped.

-Emily and I will hunt for it in the bushes.

-Right.

We're off to the Rainbow for a clear-out.

When we come back, we'll help solve the hairy creature mystery for you.

-Hopefully!

-Come on, Salty.

Wasn't you, was it? You're a hairy creature.

There she is! The Rainbow.

What have you got for us today, my dear?

FOGHORN

Come on, Salty.

Good girl, Salty. Go in your bed. Good girl. You curl up there.

And don't distract me.

Funny finding all those bananas, eh?

Wasn't there a time we got involved with some bananas?

I remember. Let me get comfortable...

and I'll tell you the story.

Once upon a twinkly time, the Rainbow set off from Staithes,

waved goodbye to Whitby, and disappeared over the horizon.

And as we sailed, we sang.

# We're Salty Dog and me

# Upon the briny sea

# The waves are calm The wind is light

# We're working up an appetite

# Soon we'll cast anchor and open the hamper

# Just Salty Dog and me. #

It was snack time, so I fetched my trusty telescope

and scanned the horizon.

And in the distance I saw an island with trees on it.

And where there are trees, there's sure to be delicious fruit.

"Snacks ahoy, Salty," I cried.

So we set our course for the island.

And when we were as close as a stone's throw, we dropped anchor.

"Isn't it nice here, Salty?" I said as we strolled along the beach.

And then I spotted a palm tree full of coconuts. Look at that!

"Here's something to eat! "Coconuts! I cried. "My favourite."

Salty said she didn't like coconuts, she only liked bananas.

And just then I spotted something unusual peering down at me

through the leaves.

It was small and hairy with huge, shiny horns,

and it was jumping about and chattering.

"Look, I think we may've discovered a rare beast, Salty," I whispered.

Salty said she hoped that it was friendly.

"I'll try talking to it," I said.

-CLEARS THROAT

-I put on my politest voice.

"Hello. I'm Jack and this is Salty," said I.

"We've forgotten our picnic hamper.

"Could I eat one of your coconuts?"

The creature put its head on one side for a moment

-and then it let out a loud shriek...

-SHRIEK!

..and threw down a coconut!

"Thank you very much," I said. "Much appreciated, I'm sure."

We sat down in the shade of the tree

and I was just about to eat the coconut

when a strange man came stomping up the beach towards us.

He was very big and as hairy as a coconut shell.

"Greetings," he said, in a booming voice. "I am Erik the Viking."

"Well, very nice to meet you," I said.

I'd never met a Viking before and I wasn't sure what to say.

"Er, you having a good day?" "No," said Erik. "I am not.

"I took off my helmet to go for a swim

"but it seems to have disappeared."

"Have you seen it?" Well, Salty and I shook our heads.

We definitely had not seen a Viking's helmet.

"But I must find it," said Erik sadly.

"I am on my way to a huge Viking feast that lasts for weeks.

"And weeks. And weeks.

"But they won't let me in if I don't have my helmet."

At that moment, another coconut came flying down from the tree.

"Who threw that?" said the Viking crossly.

He squinted up into the tree

and he saw the unusual creature with the shiny horns.

"Ah!" I said. "I think it was that funny-looking beast with the horns.

"It throws us coconuts. It's ever so kind."

"That's not a funny-looking beast with horns,

"it's a monkey with my helmet on!" said the Viking.

Old Salty and I peered up at the creature

and we couldn't help chuckling, for it was, indeed, a monkey!

"Give me back my helmet!" shouted the Viking.

He waved his fist at the monkey.

And the monkey chattered

and waved its fist back at the Viking!

"I want my helmet back, you bow-legged branch-buckler!"

boomed the Viking, and he stamped his feet.

Well, the monkey jumped up and down on the branch, copying him stamping!

But it didn't seem to want to part with the helmet!

"Stinkpots!" said the Viking.

"I'll never get my helmet back at this rate."

"It's definitely a problem," I said, scratching my chin.

The monkey scratched his chin, too. "Hm," I said.

"That monkey seems to be copying everything we do.

"Perhaps, if I throw my hat down,

"the monkey will throw down your helmet."

"Maybe," said the Viking, smiling hopefully.

But the monkey was watching us

through the leaves with its shiny button-eyes.

"Here goes," I said.

And I took off my cap... and I threw it down.

And then would you believe it... the monkey took off the helmet

and - yes! - it threw it down.

"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Erik.

"Your plan worked!"

But, oh dear - the helmet was completely broken.

Erik put his head in his hands - "Oh, no!" he cried.

"You can't go to the Viking feast with a broken helmet,

"it's not allowed," he groaned. "What am I going to do?"

The monkey climbed down from the tree and sat down next to Erik.

It put its head in its little monkey hands

and looked just as upset as Erik.

"Can you stop copying me now? It's getting annoying,"

said the Viking crossly.

"I don't think the monkey meant to break your helmet," I said.

"Perhaps we could have our own feast here?"

Salty said it was not much of a feast, as there were only coconuts.

But then, the monkey scampered off and seconds later,

something landed with a thump at our feet.

Ah! It was a bug bunch of bananas!

"Hey, look, Salty," I laughed. "Bananas! Your favourite!"

So, Salty feasted on delicious bananas,

and the Viking and I ate scrumptious coconuts.

"It's a pity there isn't a tree that grows helmets," said Erik sadly.

And then...Salty's whiskers whiffled.

"She's having one of her bright ideas," I whispered to the Viking.

We watched as Salty took two of the bananas

and fixed them to half a coconut shell.

"Salty, you are a genius, my girl!" I said.

For she had made the Viking a new helmet!

"Amazing!" he said, trying it on.

"It's much better than my old helmet. Now I can go to my feast.

"Thank you!"

Well, it was time for us to go.

"Have a lovely time at your feast," we told the Viking.

"And thank you, monkey, for sharing your fruity snacks.

"We're not hungry any more."

And so with our tummies full and our sights set on the horizon,

we clambered back aboard the Rainbow

and sailed for Staithes and home.

Had a lovely letter from the Viking.

Said he had a smashing party. Yes. Hm. And lots of bananas.

You like that story, Salty? All true, of course.

Mind you, my stories always are.

CHUCKLES

Go on, girl.

Oh, hello, Miss Bowline-Hitch.

I was just wondering if you'd managed to find

-the hairy beast that gave you such a shock earlier.

-I'm afraid not.

Emily and I looked everywhere,

but there was no sign of a hairy beast anywhere.

-I suppose you think I imagined it.

-No, no, not at all.

No, I was just wondering if you'd looked to see

if it was still in the shopping bag.

Well, no, I haven't.

But I think it's best if you do it.

-I've already had one shock today.

-All right, here goes.

Ah! Yeah, it's still there. And it's hairy, all right.

-Salty, you won't like this.

-Is it a squirrel?

-No.

-A rabbit?

-No!

-A hairy gorilla?! Er...no.

No...

It's a coconut!

Oh, yes! Yes!

I did buy a coconut!

How embarrassing! I must've forgotten all about it!

The mystery of the hairy creature is solved.

Thank you, Jack.

No problem. Come on, time to head home, Salty.

-Goodbye, you two.

-Bye-bye. Come on, Salty. You and me.

How very embarrassing...! Thank you!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd