Dutchie and the Dill Duck II
Introduction
Anonymous. “Dutchie and the Dill Duck II.” The Infant’s Magazine. 54, 1 (1920): 85-86.
“Dutchie and the Dill Duck” is a particularly interesting story because it explores the idea of exploration, travel, and racism in Victorian England. Although this is a fairly simple children’s story, the progression being made in society and societal ideals in this regard are evident in the story. It seems noteworthy that the characters are fictional, a duck and a doll, which makes the story and the subject matter feel a little more removed because this was undoubtedly a taboo topic during this time period.
Transcription
Dutchie and the Dill Duck II
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I was telling you last month how Dutchie and Dill were spreading their clothes on the sand to dry, little thinking that danger was near. But it was.
"Hark!" cried Dill suddenly. "I hear a footstep!"
They both looked round, and there among the rocks were three wild Indians.
“Save me!” cried Dutchie, “Save me, Dill!”
“I’ll go for help at once,” shouted Dill. And without more ado he splashed, dashed into the sea, leaving poor Dutchie to be snatched up by the largest of the wild men.
“Now, Dill had hardly swum away out of sight when Dutchie looked for the first time at the face of the Indian who was holding her.
“Dear me!” said she. “I seem to know you, sir. Are you not the Golliwog who used to live in the house of—of—Mistress Dora?”
“Even so,” said the Red Man. “My friends and I have reason to remember the maiden you refer to. In her hands we suffered many sorrows, till, one by one, she was careless enough, to lose us. That was the happiest day we ever knew, for it made us free.”
“Then you did not try to go back?” asked Dutchie.
“Not at all, miss,” said another of the Gollies. “We came to this island, and here we live the lives of happy Indians.” With Dutchie between them they began walking away from the seashore.
“People who run away from home,” said the Gollies in a chorus, “must face the trouble that it brings. In the Playroom in the old days, you looked with scorn upon such humble folk as me. Now you shall come to our camp. You shall cook our dinners and wash our dishes.”
“Oh, I never, never have done such things before,” sobbed Dutchie.
“Let me go home, and I will never leave it again.”
But while she was talking they reached the Indian camp, where a fire was burning under a cooking pot. A few minutes later, Dutchie found herself hard at work getting food ready while her captors sat round in a ring, telling her to be as quick as she could. It was a hard task, but she had to do it.
A day, a week, a month flew sadly by, and Dutchie had given up all hope of seeing her home again, when one morning she was roused from sleep by hearing a great noise in the camp. The Golliwog Indians were shouting with fear, and as she jumped from her bed she caught the words:
“Look at the sky! Look at the sky!”
She glared timidly up, and what she saw far, far away made her heart go “Bump!” with joy.
(I will tell you what it was next month.)
Notes
Edited by: Roberts, Jordan Lee: section 1, Winter 2013
