Two stowaways compete to impress a hula dancer through increasingly dangerous aerial and underwater antics.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Stowaways Spot Paradise
Two stowaways share a ship and discover that a tropical island is within flying distance. A lovely hula dancer becomes the focus of their attention.
Key Events
Stowaways Share a Ship — Two stowaways are hiding aboard the same ship.
Location: Ship
The Ship Approaches Paradise — The ship comes within flying distance of a tropical island.
Location: Ship near a tropical island
A Hula Dancer Appears — A lovely hula dancer becomes the focus of attention.
Location: Tropical island
The Courtship Contest Begins — The two stowaways take turns trying to impress the dancer.
Location: Tropical island
First Aerial Display — One competitor begins an aerial attempt to attract attention.
Location: Sky above the island
Hearts Over the Island
The two competitors take turns trying to impress the dancer. A skywriting stunt involving hearts nearly ends in drowning.
Key Events
Hearts Fill the Sky — Hearts are drawn in the sky as a romantic stunt.
Location: Sky above the island
The Skywriting Goes Wrong — The skywriting stunt places one competitor in serious danger.
Location: Sky above the sea
A Near Drowning — The skywriting attempt nearly ends in drowning.
Location: Sea near the island
The Contest Continues — Despite the danger, the effort to impress the dancer continues.
Location: Tropical island
The Perilous Dive
The contest continues with fancy diving. The maneuver nearly becomes a crash over the surrounding sea.
Key Events
Fancy Diving Begins — A second stunt uses elaborate diving movements.
Location: Air above the sea
The Dive Becomes Unstable — The fancy dive nearly turns into a crash.
Location: Air above the sea
A Dangerous Descent — The diver falls toward the water during the failed maneuver.
Location: Sea near the island
Battle Beneath the Waves
The failed dive leads to a fight involving a shark, a turtle, and a starfish. The underwater chaos becomes the story's peak danger.
Key Events
A Shark Enters the Scene — A shark becomes involved after the near crash.
Location: Sea near the island
The Diver Fights Back — The diver gets into a fight with the shark.
Location: Sea near the island
A Turtle Joins the Fight — A turtle becomes part of the underwater struggle.
Location: Sea near the island
A Starfish Joins In — A starfish also becomes involved in the chaotic fight.
Location: Sea near the island
The Underwater Chaos Peaks — The confrontation expands into a chaotic struggle with sea creatures.
Location: Sea near the island
The Contest Subsides
The sea struggle subsides after the extreme attempts to impress the dancer. The tropical island remains the central destination and attraction.
Key Events
The Contest Reaches Its Limit — The dangerous attempts to impress the dancer reach their extreme.
Location: Tropical island and surrounding sea
The Sea Struggle Subsides — The described fight with the shark, turtle, and starfish subsides.
Location: Sea near the island
The Island Remains the Goal — The tropical island and its hula dancer remain the story's central attraction.
Location: Tropical island
Story Breakdown
Shipboard Stowaways — The story begins with two stowaways sharing the same ship.
Shared Hidden Passage — The two stowaways are concealed aboard one ship.
Island Within Reach — The ship comes close enough to a tropical island for flying access.
Tropical Attraction — The tropical island and its lovely hula dancer create the central motivation.
Hula Dancer Appears — A lovely dancer is seen on the island.
Desire To Impress — The two stowaways take turns trying to attract her attention.
Skywriting Challenge — The first major display uses hearts written across the sky.
Hearts In The Sky — A romantic skywriting stunt is attempted above the island.
Near Drowning — The stunt nearly causes one competitor to drown.
Dangerous Diving — The contest escalates into elaborate diving maneuvers over the sea.
Fancy Dive — A competitor performs a complicated dive to impress the dancer.
Near Crash — The dive nearly ends in a crash.
Sea Creature Fight — The failed dive leads to a chaotic confrontation with multiple sea creatures.
Shark Encounter — The diver gets into a fight with a shark.
Turtle And Starfish — A turtle and a starfish also become involved in the fight.
Comic Escalation — Attempts at romantic display repeatedly become physical danger and underwater disorder.
Stunts Become Perilous — Skywriting and diving both create serious risks.
Struggle Subsides — The described underwater conflict eventually subsides.
Sammy Seagull and Cecil Crow have stowed away on the same ship. Cecil, from Iowa, wants to see a hula dancer; fortunately, they've just come within flying distance of a tropical island with a lovely dancer. They take turns trying to impress her, with such stunts as skywriting hearts (Cecil almost drowns) and fancy dives (Cecil almost crashes, then gets into a fight with a shark, a turtle, and a starfish).
