The Tale of Custard the Dragon - 2 Summary - English Class 10

6th stanza:
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,

And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
In this stanza, we are told that whenever Custard wanted to be put in a cage, Belinda and Blink giggled to their heart’s content, and Ink and Mustard asked him how old he was that he was scared of every little thing.

7th stanza:
Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around,
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
In this stanza, the poet describes a particular incident when Belinda and her pets all heard an unpleasant sound. Mustard, sensing trouble, started growling. Ink and Belinda cried out in horror, and finally they saw that a pirate was climbing into their house through a window.

8th stanza:
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood,
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.
In this stanza, we are told that the pirate had guns in both hands and a knife between his teeth. He also had a beard and a wooden leg. All in all, his appearance was quite sinister.

9th stanza:
Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
In this stanza, we see that Belinda started to cry for help, Mustard ran away, Ink hid in the basement or attic, and Blink went into his mousehole.

Fig: The Tale of custard the dragon 

10th stanza:
But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
In this stanza, we are told that Custard surprised everyone with his actions. He jumped up and started snorting in indignation and anger. In fact, it sounded like an engine revving. Then Custard beat his tail against the floor, and that sounded like the metal chains in a dungeon being banged against one another. Finally, he charged towards the pirate in the same way that a bird charges at a worm that it will eat.

11th stanza:
The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
In this stanza, we are shown the pirate’s reaction to Custard. He knew that he had no chance of winning against a dragon, so he just stared at Custard and took a drink of alcohol from his flagon, preparing to be eaten alive. He feebly fired two shots at Custard from his pistol, but his aim was off. And finally, Custard ate him up in one bite.

12th stanza:
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim,
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate,
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
In this stanza, we are told that Belinda gave Custard a hug and Mustard licked him. So both man and dog expressed approval in their own way. Nobody spared a thought for the pirate who had been eaten. Instead, Ink and Blink started dancing in a happy mood.

13th stanza:
Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little gray mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
In this stanza, we are told that everything has gone back to normal again. Belinda is living once again in peace with her pets in her white house.

14th stanza:
Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.
In this stanza, we are told that Belinda, Ink, Blink and Mustard are still brave despite knowing that the pirate could have easily killed them all. On the other hand, Custard is still a coward and still longs for a safe cage.