Percy's Chocolate Crunch and Other Thomas the Tank Engine Stories (3 page)

Salty the Dockyard Diesel is one of these engines. He loves to tell tales of the sea.

“… We heaved until the old freighter finally caught the tide. Arrgh, it’s good to be useful!”

Salty is excited about coming to the Island of Sodor. Islands are surrounded by the sea. Salty loves the sea.

Soon Salty arrived at his new job.

“Ahoy, mateys! Salty, pride of the seven seas. I’m a new diesel, and I’m here to give you some help.”

Bill and Ben didn’t think they needed any help. Especially from a diesel.

“Welcome to Center Island Quarry,” Mavis said proudly.

Salty looked all around. Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but rocks. “A
quarry
?” he cried. “There must be some mistake. I’m a dockyard diesel.”

“You’re a quarry diesel now,” Mavis said. And she explained that they had to complete an important job for Sir Topham Hatt.

Salty was sad that he wouldn’t be working by the sea. But he knew what it meant to be a Really Useful Engine. And he set to work at once.

“Ah, well,” Salty said. “At least there be trucks.”

“You’d better mind them,” Mavis said. “They can be a bother.”

“He won’t last five minutes,” said Bill.

“Those trucks will trip him up soon enough,” said Ben.

But to Bill and Ben’s surprise, the trucks seemed to give Salty no trouble at all.

“Yo ho ho and a bucket of prawns.

The tiller spins and the captain yawns.

Yo ho ho and a bucket of prawns. The tiller spins
—” sang Salty.

“—
And the captain yawns
,” sang the trucks.

Thanks to Salty, Sir Topham Hatt’s important job was almost done.

Bill and Ben were surprised … and a little jealous.

“Here comes Mister Show-off,” groused Ben.

“You have to admit he’s got a knack with those trucks,” said Mavis.

“Driver says he’ll bore the bolts off us with his stories,” huffed Bill.

But Salty didn’t say a word. He didn’t come near the shed.

Mavis was worried. She rolled alongside and asked him what he was doing on his own.

“Oh, I thought I might catch a bit of sea breeze.”

“You really
do
miss the sea, don’t you?” asked Mavis.