Nearly two hours had transpired since the starting of the _Catamaran_,--
during which time but little change took place in the relative positions
of those on board. Then, however, Snowball having finished the stowage
of his stores, proposed taking his turn at steering. The offer was
willingly accepted by the sailor, who, relinquishing his hold upon the
oar, went forward amidships. There he had placed his old sea-chest;
and, kneeling in front of it, he commenced rummaging among its contents,
with the design of making himself more familiar with them, and seeing
whether he might not discover some article inside that would be
serviceable under the circumstances.
William and Lilly Lalee still remained by the head,--the boy habitually
keeping a lookout over the ocean, but at frequent intervals turning his
glances towards her who sat by his side, and endeavouring to interest
her with his conversation.
The girl could not speak English,--only a few phrases which she had
picked up from English or American seamen, who had visited her father's
fort upon the African coast. These, though by her repeated in all
innocence, were neither of the most refined character, nor yet
sufficiently comprehensive to enable her to hold any lengthened
dialogue. It was in her own tongue that the conversation between her
and William was carried on: for the lad had picked up a somewhat
extensive vocabulary of Portuguese among the sailors of the _Pandora_--
many of whom were of that nation. It was a sort of "lingoa geral"
spoken along the seaboard of Africa,--not unlike a similar Portuguese
patois, current on the coasts and large rivers of tropical South
America.
In this language, little William, by the aid of signs and gestures, was
able to keep up an occasional conversation with Lilly Lalee.
During the two hours which the sailor had remained at the
steering-oar,--and for some time after,--no incident occurred to
interrupt the tranquillity of the _Catamaran's_ crew.
A very odd sort of fish, swimming about a cable's length ahead of the
craft, had attracted the attention of William and the girl,--exciting
their curiosity so much as to cause them to rise to their feet and stand
watching it.
The interest which this creature had inspired was not, however, of a
pleasant kind. On the contrary, both looked upon it with feelings of
repugnance, almost amounting to awe; for it was in reality one of the
ugliest monsters to be met with in the great deep.
In size it it as about equal to the body of a man; but much more
elongated, and lessening gradually towards the tail. It seemed to
possess a double quantity of fins,--lunated along their outer margins,
and set thickly over its body, so as to give it a bristling aspect.
Unlike other fishes, its neck was more slender than its head and
shoulders,--imparting to it a sort of human shape. But it was in its
head that the hideousness of the creature was more especially
conspicuous; the skull being prolonged on each side outwards to the
distance of several inches, and set upon its neck after the fashion of a
mallet upon its shaft! At the end of these lateral protuberances
appeared the eyes, with gleaming golden irides, glancing horridly to the
right and left.
The mouth was not less abnormal in shape and position. Instead of being
in the hideous head already described, it was in the breast,--where at
intervals it could be seen yawning wide open, and displaying a quadruple
row of sharp serrated teeth, that threatened instant destruction to any
substance, however hard, that might chance to come between them.
Little William knew not what sort of fish it was; for though common
enough in some parts of the ocean, he had not had the good or ill
fortune to see one before. As his companion had put the question,
however,--and also to satisfy his own curiosity,--he appealed to Ben.
The latter, raising his eyes above the top of his chest, and looking in
the direction pointed out by the lad, at once recognised the animal
which appeared to have attached itself as an escort to the _Catamaran_.
"Hammer-head!" said Ben; "a shark he be; an' the ugliest o' his ugly
tribe."
Saying this, the sailor once more ducked his head under the lid of the
chest, and continued his exploration,--altogether heedless of the
"hammer-head," from whose proximity they had nothing to fear.
So believed Ben Brace at the moment.
It proved a feeling of false security. In less than ten minutes from
that time the sailor was within six feet of the "hammer-head's" open
mouth,--in imminent danger of being craunched between those quadruple
tiers of terrible teeth, and taken into the monster's capacious maw.
By the phrase "hammer-head," so laconically pronounced by the captain of
the _Catamaran_, little William recognised in the fish a creature which,
although never seen by him before, he had read of in books, both of
travel and natural history. It was the "hammer-head" shark, or
_balance-fish_, so-called from the peculiar formation of its head,--the
_zygaena_ of the naturalists, and one of the most voracious of that
devouring tribe to which genetically it belongs.
The individual in question was, as is already stated, about a cable's
length from the raft, right ahead; and through the translucent water its
form could be distinctly traced in all its hideous outlines. Swimming
in the same direction, and at a like rate of speed, it preserved a
regular distance from the raft; and appeared like some guide or _avant
courier_ conducting the _Catamaran_ across the Atlantic!
William and Lalee watched the fish for a considerable time; but as no
change took place either in its movements or the position it held in
relation to the raft, their curiosity at length became satisfied, and
their eyes were turned in a different direction.
But the gaze of the boy-sailor soon became fixed; and upon an object
which caused him to give utterance to two distinct exclamations,--
distinct in point of time, as different in signification. The first was
an ejaculation, or rather a series of phrases expressing a jocular
surprise,--the second a cry of serious alarm.
"Ho!" cried he, on turning round and glancing towards the stern of the
_Catamaran_, "Snowball asleep! Ha! ha! ha! See the old sea-cook!
Verily, that steering-oar has escaped from his hand!"
Almost instantly succeeded the shout that betokened alarm, followed by a
series of hurried phrases, indicating the danger itself.
"The boom,--the boom! 'Tis coming round! Look out, Lalee! look out!"
As he gave utterance to these words of warnings the boy sprang towards
his companion, with arms outstretched, to protect her.
The action came too late. The steering-oar, held in the hands of the
sleeper, hung suspended high above the water. The _Catamaran_, left
without control, luffed suddenly round beam-end to the wind; the boom
obeyed the impulse of the breeze; and Lilly Lalee, uplifted upon its
end, was brushed off from the craft, and jerked far out upon the blue
bosom of the ocean!