Classics fantasy – 10

The Gatling took fish for a tail and tried to lift, but it is vain: fish as if grew to a basin bottom. Thomson laughed:

– You see what exotic fish! It is an ekheneida, or “ры – oh – the bore”. About this fish the whole legends as if she, sticking to an underwater part of the ship, can detain its course in the ancient time went. Here you watch – and Thomson though not without effort, tore off “bore” from a basin.

– Professor, in the sea swims the whole herd of turtles – Thomson’s assistant Müller reported. – Whether you allow me to hunt on them here with this little small fish? I saw how it is done by natives in Africa.

Having got permission, Müller put on a tail of fish a ring with a strong cord and threw her into water. In transparent water all movements of fish were visible. Having made several unsuccessful attempts to escape, it began to swim up to a big turtle who, probably, peacefully slept on the surface of the ocean; the ekheneida stuck to a belly board of a turtle. Müller pulled a cord. The turtle was swept up, but could not get off the bore and in a minute was pulled out together with fish on the deck of the vessel.

– Bravo! – Viviana clapped the hands.

On the deck Simpkins appeared. He just got up and squinted from a bright sun. Popykhivy indifferently looked with a tubule, Simpkins at a turtle and filtered a mouth corner:

– Turtle soup – it will be not bad. And it that for a bloodsucker?

– This is not a bloodsucker, but a clingfish. The turtle, Simpkins, is intended not for soup, and for a scientific collection.

– Watch what charm! – Viviana exclaimed again, pointing to the sea.

Over the surface of the ocean fishes flew. Their whole packs rose over water and flew by considerable space in several tens of meters supported by forward fins which at them are turned as if into wings.

All admired this show.

– Dactylopteres – “short meeting” – professor Thomson explained.

– Really and all birds left the sea? – asked Vivian.

– The ocean – a cradle of all organic life on the earth. You see the flying fishes, but there are also such fishes who walk by land and even vzlezat on roots of trees. All this ancestors of Amphibia and birds.

– Very interestingly – told indifferently to Simpkins – but as though we gathered for searches not only turtles of both bores, and and Ostrov of the Lost Ships. We get all to the south and already left a belt саргасс. There will come rainy time soon – and so often it is raining – when we are engaged in the Island?

– Patience, Simpkins; today we turn on the North, and every hour you will be closer to the purpose.

Симпкинс shrugged shoulders with such look, as if wanted to tell: “Oh these scientists!” – and, having stuffed up hands in pockets, began to look at the sea, spitting out through a board.

– Here shark! – he shouted, having quickened. Obviously, and in the sea he was interested only in a criminal element. – Oho, what big! Only why it is white?

– Yes, it is an interesting copy – Thomson told – the typical representative of the Sargasso Sea. Sargassa detain a sunlight, and local sharks, obviously, do not “sunbathe” as their brothers living in open places; leather of local sharks remains deprived of a pigment (coloring).

The shark floated near the ship. Its movements were bystra, are strong and beautiful.

Sailors already prepared a rope and smeared with fat an iron hook.

– And why the shark does not eat these little small fishes what spin about her? – asked Vivian.

– This is fish pilot, the inseparable fellow traveler of a shark.

At this time the hook with a bait was thrown. The first fish pilot noticed a bait. She sniffed at a bait and quickly swam up to a shark, trying to pay her attention to production.

– See you, podvodchitsa! – translated Simpkins of an event into language of criminal practice.

The shark turned, noticed production and greedy grabbed in a mouth a hook.

– Devil take it, it was provocation from fish pilot! – Simpkins exclaimed.

The shark was thrown and so pulled a rope that two sailors fell to the deck and the ship took an easy list. Fight began. Sailors released a rope, selected, tightening more and more growing weak animal. Passed not less than an hour, pre-chspr than it was succeeded to pull out a shark on the deck. Tired, it lay as dead.

– Aha, got, my dear! – with a celebration told Simpkins, approaching a shark.

– I bet – told Gatling – that you regret, to Simpkins, about absence at a shark of hands.

– Why?

– You would put on them “bracelets”.

– Still stuck! – with surprise Viviana, увидав the fish who stuck to a stomach of a shark exclaimed.

– A usual thing – Thomson answered. – Bores often do it and have threefold advantage for themselves: so to speak, gratuitous journey, full safety from other predators under cover of the sea of the enemy, terrible for all inhabitants, and some remains from a plentiful table of gluttonous sharks.

– In a word, everywhere same – noticed Simpkins – around big criminals the small pack of swindlers for small instructions always spins.

– It is a little more, Simpkins, and you will write scientific work: “Underworld of inhabitants of the sea” – told, smiling, Gatling.

Симпкинс approached closer a shark and suddenly, having grasped a hand the bore, began to pull:

– And well, we will look whether you will keep?

The bore as if grew to a stomach of a shark. Then Simpkins with a force pulled fish. The shark unexpectedly started a huge body and slapped Simpkins a tail with such force that it, having waved in air legs, flew through a board and fell in the sea.

Professor Thomson with emotion shouted to the sailor:

– Throw a rope rather!

Gatling this nervousness and haste of the scientist surprised. Симпкинс there was a quite good swimmer, bathing in warm, almost hot water did not threaten with cold.

But Thomson was afraid of another: he knew that sharks often pass packs. Where one floated, there can be also others.

And his fears were not vain. Not far really suddenly seemed it is unknown from where the undertaken sharks. They quickly approached Simpkins who did not notice them yet. Meanwhile already carried the ship on several meters from Simpkins.

– Rather, Simpkins, rather! – shouted to it.

The captain gave the order to stop the car, and ingenious sailors, without expecting an order, with feverish haste lowered the boat.

– What do you worry? I swim as a stopper! – Simpkins which was not suspecting dangers yet shouted, but, seeing that all views are directed not to it, and somewhere in the sea, looked back, grew cold with horror and began to work with despair hands and legs. But the become wet clothes slowed down swimming.

When the boat with three sailors swam up to Simpkins, sharks were about him. One of them, having swum up under Simpkins, already turned on a back and opened the wide mouth seated by several rows of teeth, but someone from sailors thrust an oar which instantly was shattered in small spills in an open mouth. And it saved Simpkins. Other sailor helped it to get into the boat.

The predators angered by the fact that production left from them fought at the boat, trying to turn it. Several times they almost managed it. The boat turned, tilted, scooping edge water. The sailor beat off an oar fragment, others strenuously rowed. At last with great difficulty sailors and Simpkins moored to a board and ascended on “Defiant”.

All breathed a sigh of relief.