The Enchanted Fishes
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.
Ervic leaned over the side and said to the fishes: "What next?"
"You will find upon the sand," said the silverfish, "a copper kettle,
which the Su-dic forgot when he went away. Cleanse it thoroughly in
the water of the lake, for it has had poison in it. When it is
cleaned, fill it with fresh water and hold it over the side of the
boat, so that we three may swim into the kettle. We will then instruct
you further."
"Do you wish me to catch you, then?" asked Ervic in surprise.
"Yes," was the reply.
So Ervic jumped out of the boat and found the copper kettle. Carrying
it a little way down the beach, he washed it well, scrubbing away
every drop of the poison it had contained with sand from the shore.
Then he went back to the boat.
Ervic's comrades were still sound asleep and knew nothing of the three
fishes or what strange happenings were taking place about them. Ervic
dipped the kettle in the lake, holding fast to the handle until it
was under water. The gold and silver and bronze fishes promptly swam
into the kettle. The young Skeezer then lifted it, poured out a little
of the water so it would not spill over the edge, and said to the
fishes: "What next?"
"Carry the kettle to the shore. Take one hundred steps to the east,
along the edge of the lake, and then you will see a path leading
through the meadows, up hill and down dale. Follow the path until you
come to a cottage which is painted a purple color with white
trimmings. When you stop at the gate of this cottage we will tell you
what to do next. Be careful, above all, not to stumble and spill the
water from the kettle, or you would destroy us and all you have done
would be in vain."
The goldfish issued these commands and Ervic promised to be careful
and started to obey. He left his sleeping comrades in the boat,
stepping cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the shore took
exactly one hundred steps to the east. Then he looked for the path and
the moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered it, although it
was hidden from view by tall weeds until one came full upon it. This
path was very narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it was
quite distinct and Ervic had no difficulty in following it. He walked
through a broad meadow, covered with tall grass and weeds, up a hill
and down into a valley and then up another hill and down again.
It seemed to Ervic that he had walked miles and miles. Indeed the moon
sank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he discovered by
the roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple with white
trimmings. It was a lonely place--no other buildings were anywhere
about and the ground was not tilled at all. No farmer lived here, that
was certain. Who would care to dwell in such an isolated place?
But Ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. He went up
to the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle carefully
down and bending over it asked:
"What next?"