And now all eyes were turned towards the sea-hawk, and became fixed upon
him with glances that expressed surprise; for, instead of again soaring
upward, and renewing his pursuit either of the creature that he had so
clumsily permitted to escape him, or some other of its kind, the bird
was seen to stay down upon the surface of the sea,--his wings spread to
their full extent, and flapping the water with such violence as to raise
the spray in a thick cloud over and around him!
He was heard, too, giving utterance to loud and repeated screams,--not
in the tone of a conqueror; but as if he was in danger of being
vanquished, or had already become the victim of some ocean tyrant
stronger than himself!
For some seconds this inexplicable movement,--a struggle it seemed,--
continued; not in one place, but over a space of many square yards of
surface,--which appeared to be also agitated by the exertions of some
creature underneath; the bird all the while repeating its cries, and
beating the water into froth, like a huge pelican at play!
The crew of the _Catamaran_, utterly unable to account for this strange
conduct on the part of the old cock, stood upon the deck of their craft,
looking on with feelings of intense astonishment.
Even Snowball, who thought himself _au fait_ to every incident of
ocean-life, was surprised and puzzled equally with the rest.
"What be the matter wi' the creetur, Snowy?" inquired Ben, thinking
Snowball could explain its odd behaviour. "The frigate 'pears to ha'
got on its beam-end; shiver my timbers if 't ain't goin' to founder!"
"Shibber ma timber, too," rejoined Snowball, rudely pirating the
sailor's favourite shibboleth; "shibber 'um, if dis nigga know what am
de matter. Golly! someting got de ole hawk by de legs,--dat seem
sartin. Maybe 'um be shark, maybe 'um be long-nose--de--"
Snowball was going to say "sword-fish," had he been permitted to finish
his speech. But he was not; for while in the act of its delivery, with
the whites of his eyes rolling in conjectural wonder, something from
below struck the plank, upon which he was standing, and with such a
shock that the piece of timber was started from its fastenings, and
impelled suddenly upwards,--not only knocking the ex-sea-cook out of his
perpendicular position, but pitching him, as from a catapult, clear
across the _Catamaran_, and into the sea on the opposite side!
This was not all. The plank from which Snowball had been projected
instantly fell back into its place,--in consequence of its being one of
the heaviest pieces of timber in the raft,--but instead of remaining
there, it was again seen to shoot upward, then fall back upon the water,
as if dragged down by a powerful but invisible hand,--the hand of some
sea-god or demon,--perhaps of Neptune himself!
Not only the plank, but the whole raft moved under this inexplicable
impulsion,--which had communicated to it a rocking motion, not from side
to side, but upwards and downwards! So quick and violent was this
mysterious oscillation, that it was with difficulty the three
individuals who still occupied the decks of the craft could keep either
their balance or their feet.
Along with the motion of the raft there was a corresponding commotion in
the water,--accompanied by a loud splashing noise that seemed to proceed
from under the timbers, on which, like so many acrobats, they were
endeavouring to balance themselves; and in a few seconds after they had
felt the great shock, the sea all around exhibited a surface of high
waves crested with foam!
Snowball, who had risen to the surface after the somersault that had
plunged him deep down into the sea, perceiving that the raft still
continued to heave upward and downward, made no attempt to get on board;
but swimming alongside, sputtered forth his terrified ejaculations.
Even the brave man-o'-war's-man, who had faced death in a thousand
shapes, was, at that moment, the victim of fear.
How could it be otherwise? He could think of nothing in nature capable
of causing that mysterious commotion and who, without trembling, could
withstand the assaults of the supernatural?
"Shiver my timbers!" cried Ben, himself shivering as he spoke the words,
"what in old Nick's name has got under us? Be it a whale that's bumpin'
its back against the rail? Or--"
Before he could pronounce the second interrogatory, a loud crash sounded
in the ears of all,--as if the plank heaving so mysteriously had been
suddenly torn in twain!
This sound, whatever had caused it, seemed to proclaim the climax of the
commotion: for immediately after the _Catamaran_ began to compose
herself, the waves caused by her continued rocking gradually grew less,
until at length, once more "righted," she lay in her customary position
upon the tranquil surface of the sea.