[Illustration]
AT last the two had done their duty. The treasure was theirs. All
that remained now was to go back to Tursio with it.
“Let us start this minute,” said Marsovino, who was anxious to see
his father again.
“Yes, but first please give me something to eat.”
“Should you like to have some grapes?” said Marsovino, kindly.
“I don’t see the use of making my mouth water needlessly,” answered
Pinocchio.
“But I mean what I’m saying. Should you like some grapes?”
“Show them to me first. Then I’ll answer you.”
“Come here then, unbeliever.” As he spoke, Marsovino led Pinocchio to
a mast, which, strange to say, had not been touched by the polyps.
Hanging from a slender thread was a bunch of what looked like red
grapes.
“What are they?” Pinocchio could only ask.
“Don’t you see? They are sea grapes. Eat them.”
“But first I want you to tell me what they are.”
“They are the eggs of the calamary, a near relation of the octopus
you had to deal with to-day.”
“Very well, then. I’m willing to destroy all sign of those horrible
beings.” In a short time Pinocchio had made a good luncheon out of
them.
[Illustration: “‘WHAT ARE THEY?’”]
Luncheon finished, Marsovino gave Pinocchio the box of pearls which
he was holding for the marionette. Then the dolphin tied the treasure
boxes on his back, and the two friends were ready to start.
They again passed the beach where the seals had had their battle. Now
it was full of men. Some were skinning the poor animals. Others were
pressing out the oil from their bodies. Still others were spreading
the skins out on the sand to dry.
Again the two travelers came into the polar seas. Here they found a
great change. Icebergs had melted, and the sea was full of floating
ice.
At last, without meeting any mishaps, the two again entered the
warmer ocean. They had gone only a few miles when Pinocchio heard a
great noise behind him. Both friends turned. On the calm surface of
the sea rose two high columns of water.
“The whale!” exclaimed Marsovino.
“Nonsense, whale!” answered Pinocchio, who now and then still forgot
how little he knew. “Don’t you see it’s a fountain? How could an
animal send the water so high?”
“Still it is the whale. You are just seeing a cetacean breathe.”
“You are a cetacean, too. But I see only one hole in your head, and
the jet of water you throw is very low.”
“Yes, we are cetaceans, but we are not whales. The whale proper has
two breathing holes.”
“Mercy! what a noise that monster does make!” breathed Pinocchio.
“Now, if she comes near us, we’ll disappear.”
“Have no fear, Pinocchio. The whale, although such a large animal,
is quiet and harmless if you let her alone. She is even timid.
And don’t think that because her mouth is large she can eat large
animals.”
[Illustration]
“Her mouth may be large, but her throat is so small that she can
swallow only very small fishes. If we had met the cachalot, or sperm
whale, we should have reason to be frightened.”
“And what is that?”
“It’s an immense cetacean. You can tell it from the common whale, not
only by its one breathing hole, but also by its size. The head alone
is enormous, and its mouth is frightful with its many large sharp
teeth.”
“Hasn’t this whale teeth?”
“No. But instead of teeth, its upper jaw is lined with at least seven
hundred plates of a thick horny substance. These plates are often
twelve and fifteen feet long.”
“When the whale wants to eat it opens its huge mouth, and then closes
it full of water. This water is then strained through the plates,
and hundreds of small fishes are caught in them. The whale can then
swallow her dinner at her leisure.”
“What a dinner!” exclaimed Pinocchio. “Now tell me this. Why is it
that so many whales are captured by whalers? You say that they are
harmless. Why, then, should they be killed?”
“They are caught because of their value. Those horny plates I spoke
of are what is called whalebone. The large tongue of the whale
contains many barrels of oil. From the body of the whale great
quantities of fat may be had. All these things are of great use in
the world.”
[Illustration]
“What about that other whale you spoke of? The one with the terrible
teeth.”
“The sperm whale? Oh! that one is a dreadful being. With its great
mouth and sharp teeth it can eat anything. Seals, dolphins, and even
the terrible squaloids are lost, if they come near him. He is very
ferocious.”
While Marsovino and Pinocchio were talking, the whale had come
nearer. The marionette saw a small dark object climb on her back.
“What is that?” he asked.
“That’s a baby whale. Whales are very affectionate mothers. The baby
whale is tired, so the mother is going to carry it.”
Suddenly a dark head and body rose out of the water. Like an arrow it
threw itself on the poor whale. With its large mouth it tore a great
piece of flesh from the cetacean’s side and then disappeared into the
waves.
“Mercy! The sea wolf!” cried Marsovino, looking around for some place
to hide.
“What is the sea wolf? The name does not sound terrible.”
“It is the most dangerous and fierce squaloid. It is even worse than
the hammer! Let us run!” said Marsovino, breathlessly.
“But if we run the wolf will run after us.”
“You are right. Where shall we hide? Oh, here! Let us try to get
among these weeds.”
Near them was a large plant. Its leaves would make a very safe hiding
place. Pinocchio stood on Marsovino’s back and pushed the leaves
aside. In a short time the two were so well hidden that no eyes could
see them.
[Illustration]
“Here we are safe,” and the dolphin gave a sigh of relief.
“And how well we can see.” Pinocchio, like the boy he was, wanted to
see the fight.
In fact, a short distance away, a terrific fight was in progress. The
wolf had now attacked the baby whale. This made the mother furious.
She tried to hit the shark with her tail, but he was too quick for
her. The poor cetacean was getting the worst of it. The wolf’s mouth,
provided with four hundred sharp teeth, was tearing the whale’s side
to pieces. Blood was pouring from them both, and it seemed as if the
whale could not hold out much longer.
A second dark body now made its appearance. It was as long as the
whale, but much larger. Its head was enormous, and from the top of it
rose a single high column of water.
“The sperm whale! The cachalot!” breathed Marsovino, and it seemed
to Pinocchio that the dolphin turned pale.
It was not to be mistaken! It was the terrible whale! And he seemed
not at all frightened by the sight of the fighters. Instead, opening
wide his mouth—and such a mouth—he threw himself on them. With a snap
of the great jaws the sea wolf’s tail disappeared.
And then, as if the battle were not fierce enough, a long bladelike
object appeared on the scene. The sides of the blade were provided
with sharp teeth. Behind the blade was a dark head. The new arrival
was the sawfish, coming to see what the matter was. Without much ado
it started to deal blows, first on this side, then on that.
Not even the sperm whale escaped the terrible saw. Long ragged tears
were soon seen on its body. Cries of pain were heard on all sides.
The sea was a sea of blood.
Finally the whale, seeing that she was lost if she stayed there long,
tried to escape. As swiftly as she could, she swam away with her baby.
[Illustration]
Though the whale was gone, the fight still raged. The wolf and the
saw, although both of the same family, are sworn enemies. Not paying
much attention to the sperm whale, they started to battle with each
other. But the wolf was so exhausted by the loss of blood that it
could not do much. The cachalot, seeing himself overlooked, threw
himself on the sawfish. But as quick as a flash the sawfish dived and
came up on the other side of the giant. Angrier than ever, the whale
now turned to the wolf and in an instant snapped his head off.
The whale was satisfied. Pouring blood from twenty wounds, he left
the field of battle. The sawfish was left alone in all his glory. He
was hurt but little. Very calmly he started to make a dinner of the
sea wolf, or at least of what was left of him.
The dolphin now thought it safe to try to escape. Once out of the
weeds, he fled as fast as he could.
Poor Pinocchio could only sit still and look around. He feared any
minute to see a hammerhead or a wolf or a whale appear before him.
“Oh! how horrible, how awful is the sea!” he thought.
[Illustration]