I must now tell you what happened to Ervic and the three other Skeezers
who were left floating in the iron boat after Queen Coo-ee-oh had been
transformed into a Diamond Swan by the magic of the Flathead Su-dic.
The four Skeezers were all young men and their leader was Ervic.
Coo-ee-oh had taken them with her in the boat to assist her if she
captured the Flathead chief, as she hoped to do by means of her silver
rope. They knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the submarine
and so, when left floating upon the lake, were at a loss what to do.
The submarine could not be submerged by them or made to return to the
sunken island. There were neither oars nor sails in the boat, which was
not anchored but drifted quietly upon the surface of the lake.
The Diamond Swan had no further thought or care for her people. She had
sailed over to the other side of the lake and all the calls and
pleadings of Ervic and his companions were unheeded by the vain bird.
As there was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in their
boat and waited as patiently as they could for someone to come to their
aid.
The Flatheads had refused to help them and had gone back to their
mountain. All the Skeezers were imprisoned in the Great Dome and could
not help even themselves. When evening came, they saw the Diamond Swan,
still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake, walk out of the water
to the sands, shake her diamond-sprinkled feathers, and then disappear
among the bushes to seek a resting place for the night.
"I'm hungry," said Ervic.
"I'm cold," said another Skeezer.
"I'm tired," said a third.
"I'm afraid," said the last one of them.
But it did them no good to complain. Night fell and the moon rose and
cast a silvery sheen over the surface of the water.
"Go to sleep," said Ervic to his companions. "I'll stay awake and
watch, for we may be rescued in some unexpected way."
So the other three laid themselves down in the bottom of the boat and
were soon fast asleep.
Ervic watched. He rested himself by leaning over the bow of the boat,
his face near to the moonlit water, and thought dreamily of the day's
surprising events and wondered what would happen to the prisoners in
the Great Dome.
Suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the surface of the lake,
not more than a foot from his eyes. A silverfish then raised its head
beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefish lifted its
head beside the others. The three fish, all in a row, looked earnestly
with their round, bright eyes into the astonished eyes of Ervic the
Skeezer.
"We are the three Adepts whom Queen Coo-ee-oh betrayed and wickedly
transformed," said the goldfish, its voice low and soft but distinctly
heard in the stillness of the night.
"I know of our Queen's treacherous deed," replied Ervic, "and I am
sorry for your misfortune. Have you been in the lake ever since?"
"Yes," was the reply.
"I--I hope you are well--and comfortable," stammered Ervic, not knowing
what else to say.
"We knew that some day Coo-ee-oh would meet with the fate she so richly
deserves," declared the bronzefish. "We have waited and watched for
this time. Now if you will promise to help us and will be faithful and
true, you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and save yourself
and all your people from the dangers that now threaten you."
"Well," said Ervic, "you can depend on my doing the best I can. But I'm
no witch, nor magician, you must know."
"All we ask is that you obey our instructions," returned the
silverfish. "We know that you are honest and that you served Coo-ee-oh
only because you were obliged to in order to escape her anger. Do as we
command and all will be well."
"I promise!" exclaimed the young man. "Tell me what I am to do first."
"You will find in the bottom of your boat the silver cord which dropped
from Coo-ee-oh's hand when she was transformed," said the goldfish.
"Tie one end of that cord to the bow of your boat and drop the other
end to us in the water. Together we will pull your boat to the shore."
Ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could move so heavy a
boat, but he did as he was told and the fishes all seized their end of
the silver cord in their mouths and headed toward the nearest shore,
which was the very place where the Flatheads had stood when they
conquered Queen Coo-ee-oh.
At first the boat did not move at all, although the fishes pulled with
all their strength. But presently the strain began to tell. Very slowly
the boat crept toward the shore, gaining more speed at every moment. A
couple of yards away from the sandy beach the fishes dropped the cord
from their mouths and swam to one side, while the iron boat, being now
under way, continued to move until its prow grated upon the sands.