The south-west coast of Africa was fading away in the distance as the
two consorts with their natural history seekers rode over the dazzling
silver sea. The lads were abaft the schooner's wheel, quite inseparable
now, looking down through the eddying water at the fish, which seemed to
have taken the swift vessel for some mighty companion of their own
nature, in whose wake they could swim along in peace without fear of
lesser enemies.
About an hour before, the brig's gig had brought the Count and his son
alongside the schooner, and the former was below in the doctor's
museum-like laboratory, listening to his learned friend's remarks upon
some fresh object that, now they had returned to the ways of peace, had
been fished up from just below the surface of the sea.
Four of the schooner's crew were under an awning, lying upon a couple of
doubled-up spare sails which had been spread upon the deck, and the two
lads had been seated with them chatting for some little time before they
strolled aft.
"How well your men look," Morny said suddenly--"all except Joe Cross."
"Yes, he looks rather thin and pale, doesn't he?" said Rodd quickly;
"but he isn't ill. You saw how full of fun he was, and ready to joke
about having been bled too much. Uncle says he'll soon be well again,
for he's in such good spirits. But uncle told me quietly that it was a
wonder to him none of the poor fellows were killed. But oh, I say,
isn't this nice!"
"Lazy," said Morny.
"Oh, I don't call it lazy. It's so jolly to be able to hang about in
the sunshine without feeling that there's some great trouble coming on
directly."
"Ah, yes," replied Morny, with a sigh, "and that perhaps you may not
live to see me next day."
"Well," said Rodd, "I don't think it's lazy. Uncle says that after you
have been at work very hard it's like unstringing the bow; and so it is.
I want to begin fishing or dredging or sounding again. I don't want
any more shooting. Now, do you know what I should like just now?"
"No."
"I'd soon show you then that I wasn't lazy. I should like to see one of
those beautiful ripples two or three hundred yards off which show
that there's a shoal of fish feeding on the transparent
what-you-may-call-'ems--I forget Uncle Paul's name for them."
"Well, if that would give you any satisfaction," said Morny, laughing,
"I wish that a shoal would rise."
"Don't you be in such a hurry; I hadn't finished. I was going to say I
should then like to see one of those great sea-serpent-like creatures
rise slowly from below, to begin feeding on the fish--one of those great
scientific wonders that you and your father are trying to discover and
capture; for that's it, I suppose, though you do keep so squat about
it."
"Ah-h-h!" said Morny, with a sigh; and he glanced sidewise at his young
English companion.
"It is quite a joke, that it is," continued Rodd. "It's just as if you
were jealous and afraid that uncle and I would get beforehand with you,
and win the credit of the discovery for old England, instead of you
carrying it off for your _la belle France_."
"Ah!" sighed Morny again, with a sad smile upon his lips.
"You French chaps are so sentimental. _La belle France_ indeed! Just
as if old England or the British Isles weren't quite as beautiful! Only
we don't go shouting about it everywhere. I say, Morny, you don't half
believe in me."
"It is false!" cried the young Frenchman angrily. "Why, I believe in
you more than in any one living--except my father."
"Oh, indeed!" cried Rodd banteringly. "And here since I have known you
I have told you everything till I haven't a secret that I have kept from
you."
"Why, you have had no secrets," said Morny.
"Well--no; I suppose you couldn't call them secrets. But you've got
one, and you have never let it out to me."
"No," said Morny gravely, "because it was not mine to tell. You don't
want me to be dishonourable, Rodd?"
"Why, of course I don't, old chap. I don't want you to tell me till you
like, only it is rather a joke sometimes that you make such a mystery of
what uncle and I know as well as can be."
"You know!" cried Morny sharply.
"Why, of course I do. It's what I say. You want--I mean, your father
does--to carry off the honour of having solved the mystery of the great
fish or reptile that has been talked about for the last hundred years.
I say, though, there's that other great old-world thing that they find
in the rocks. What's his name?"
Morny shook his head.
"Here, I've got it--the sea-sawyer! That isn't quite right, but it
sounds something like it. Why, he must have been just like a great
crocodile."
"Ugh! Don't talk about them," said Morny, with a shudder.
"Eh, why not? There are none of them here. I wish we could have caught
one to dry or stuff, or keep in spirits. I mean quite a little one, you
know. Ah, those were rather horrid times, though, and I shan't want a
specimen reptile to make me remember them."
"No," said Morny musingly; "we want nothing to make us recollect them."
"But I suppose it is nearly all over now, for our voyages will soon come
to an end."
"Oh no?" cried Morny eagerly. "Why should they, now that your uncle and
my father have become such friends?"
The lads both started, for those of whom they were speaking just then
strolled up behind them.
"Well, boys," said the Count gravely, "what are you two talking about?"
"Rodd was saying that he supposed our friendship would soon come to an
end."
"Indeed?" cried the Count, raising his eyebrows and turning to give a
meaning glance at Uncle Paul. "Why should it, eh, my lad? I thought
you and Morny had become such fast friends."
"Yes, so we have, sir," cried Rodd, flushing; "but I didn't quite mean
that, for I hope we shall often meet; but I thought that now we are out
at sea again we should be separating. The brig will be going one way,
and we shall be going another."
"Do you wish this to be so?" said the Count, after another glance at
Uncle Paul.
"I? Oh no, sir."
"And you, Morny, my son?"
"I, my father? They should not go away if I could stop it."
"You hear, doctor? Is not this strange after what we have been saying
in the cabin. I tell you again, before long I will be quite open with
you about the object of my voyage. At present I ask you not to press
me."
"I have told you," said the doctor, smiling, "that I will not. I have
told you also that my object for the short time that I shall stay down
here in the south is to keep close inshore, while you tell me that you
wish to be able to sail right out to sea, and free to carry out your
project, whatever it may be."
"Yes, yes, and I have told you too that you could be of the greatest
service to me by following close at hand, and that I should always be
most grateful if without injury to your own cruise you would keep in
company with me for the present."
"Ready to help in case of further emergencies?"
"No," cried the Count warmly; "my ideas were not so selfish as that.
But tell me this--is it urgent that we should part company now? I mean,
would you suffer loss, or would your own researches be injured by
keeping in company with us for say another month?"
"No-o," said the doctor carelessly; "I am just as likely to make
discoveries far out to sea as close inshore."
"Then stay with us for the present. I ask it as a friend, while I
guarantee that you shall not suffer by what you do for me."
"Well," said the doctor, slowly and thoughtfully, as he looked at the
two lads, who were intently listening for his words, "what do you think,
Rodd? Shall we sail in company with the brig for a little longer?"
"Am I to be judge, uncle?" said the boy merrily. "Yes, if you like."
"Well, then," said the lad, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, as
he found that Morny with lips parted was gazing at him with a look of
appeal, "you see, uncle, we have been together a good while now, and
though we tried to help the brig we seem to have dragged it into a good
deal of mischief."
"What are you saying, Rodd?" cried Morny passionately.
"Oh, I mean that we have helped you a bit, but you have been very
unlucky since we have been together. Still, if Morny doesn't mind
risking it, and doesn't mind putting up with my jokes about _la belle
France_, and yours, uncle, about the Emperor Napoleon--"
Morny started, and looked sharply at his father.
"--though by this time," continued Rodd, "I suppose you, sir, have found
out that at heart uncle is very fond of the Emperor, and admires him
very much--"
"You impudent young scoundrel, how dare you!" growled the doctor.
"Bah!" he muttered to himself, "Temper!" Then turning quickly to the
Count, he said almost apologetically, "Don't take any notice. I have
spoilt him, sir; I have spoilt him. Look here, my dear sir; I shall
very much regret the day when we have to part, for my own sake and for
my nephew's, for since he has had the advantage of your son's
companionship I have been in hopes that he would acquire something of
his refinement and polish, and that it might lead in time to his
achieving to somewhat of the carriage of a gentleman. I regret to say
that so far he is as rough and boorish as ever. Still, in the hope that
every one of his opportunities may not be thrown away, I shall be glad
to prolong the intimacy a little longer. There, sir," he snapped out,
as he turned sharply upon Rodd, "what do you say to that?"
"It's all right, Morny," said the boy quietly. "Go on polishing. I'll
be more attentive now, uncle."
Morny gave him a quick nod, and turned then to grasp Uncle Paul's hand,
while the brig and the schooner went sailing on westward ho!