‘Oh, please, Creamy, come out. Of course you're not a stupid bear. You are very clever - a very clever dog, I mean. We dogs should stick together, you know….’

‘Ooooo! Ooooo! Ooooo!…’ the foghorn’s wailing swept across the ship again. Lennie held his breath. But not a sound came from behind the door.

‘That’s it!’ he shouted. ‘That does it! I’m breaking this door, do you hear?’ And backing away a bit, he gathered himself in, and charged the door at a run. The door gave, and Lennie fell into the cabin.

‘OUT!’ he shouted, picking himself up, ‘Stop fooling around! Come out!’

But Creamy, wedged into a corner, only snorted and stared coldly at Lennie.

‘Are you talking to me by any chance?’ he asked, glaring.

‘Oh, stop it, Creamy. No time to sulk. Come on, get up!’ and he grabbed his paw, trying to pull him up. ‘Out, do you hear?!’

‘Pah!’ laughed Creamy scornfully, staying put, ‘Says who?’

Lennie had had enough. Without another word, he bent down, grabbed Creamy's foot and jerked it out from under him. There was a soft thud as Creamy’s back hit the floor.

‘Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! Let go! Leave me alone!’ shrieked Creamy.

For a moment it seemed that Lennie would lose his grip as Creamy twisted and turned this way and that, trying to get free. But back bent, legs buckling under him, Lennie held on. And inch by inch, he began to move forward, dragging Creamy along the floor of the passage. He could just see the way out in the faint light of a flickering bulb overhead.

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