The Ocean Cat's Paw: The Story of a Strange Cruise

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

  LAND HO!

  "What is it, Joe?" cried Rodd.

  "Easy, sir!" said the man softly. "Not too loud," he continued, fromwhere he was seated upon the cross-trees. "I don't want to give theskipper a false alarm, else he won't believe me next time."

  "What about?"

  "Easy, my lad! Just in a whisper like. I aren't sure, but to you Isays, Land ho!"

  "Whereabouts, Joe?" cried Rodd excitedly.

  "Ah!" cried Morny, springing up. "Land!" And he faced round to gazetowards the brig that was sailing very slowly after them some threehundred yards away--sailing, but doing little more than forge her waythrough the water.

  "Nay, not that way, sir," said Joe softly, "but doo east. You can't seeanything from down there, Mr Rodd, sir. I can't even make certain withthe glass."

  "Hold hard, Joe! I am coming up," cried Rodd. "All right, sir; but youwill be disappointed when you do."

  "I won't be long, Morny," said Rodd eagerly.

  "No; be quick," whispered Morny excitedly. "I want for my father toknow. He is so anxious about the brig."

  Rodd gave him a quick jerk of the head as he went on climbing theratlines as quickly as he could, forgetting all about the heat and thesilvery glare of the piercing sunshine.

  He was not long mounting to the sailor's side, seating himself on theopposite side of the mast.

  "Now then," he cried, as he shuffled into his place; "let me look."

  "All right, sir. Ketch hold," replied the sailor stolidly. "You'll doit; your eyes are so much younger and sharper than mine."

  "None of your gammon, Joe!" cried the boy sharply, as he focussed theglass to suit his eyes, while with one arm embracing the butt of themain-topgallant-mast he held the tube steadily to his eye, asking forguidance the while.

  "Now then," he said; "whereabouts?"

  "Right straight ahead, sir. You can't miss it if it's there, for itstretches away as far as you like to left and right!"

  "Why, there's no land, Joe."

  "Not looking down low enough, sir, perhaps. It aren't right up in thesky."

  "Well, who's looking up in the sky?" cried Rodd irritably.--"I amlooking right down to the horizon line."

  "Well, that's right, sir. Take a good long look. Now then, can't yousee it?"

  There was silence for a few moments, and Morny, who was gazing upwards,seemed to be all eyes and ears.

  "Can't you see it, Master Rodd?" repeated Joe.

  "No."

  "Perhaps 'tarn't land, then, sir."

  "No. It was all your fancy. There's nothing to be seen."

  "Where are you looking, sir?"

  "At a little low bank of pale misty cloud. That's all, Joe. Your eyeswant a good rub."

  "Dessay they do, sir. They aren't much account," said the man; "butthat caps what I saw," and putting his hands to the sides of his mouthhe yelled out in stentorian tones, "Land ho!"--a signal that wasfollowed by the hurried shuffling sound of feet ascending to the deck.

  "Here, what are you doing?" cried Rodd angrily. "Spreading a falsealarm like that!"

  "Oh, it's right enough, sir."

  "But there's nothing but a cloud there, Joe."

  "Looks like it, sir, but land it is all the same."

  "Where away?" came in the skipper's hoarse voice.

  "Dead ahead, sir," replied the sailor, and Rodd steadied the glassagain, bringing it to bear upon what looked more than ever like thefaintest of faint hazes upon the surface of the distant sea.

  "Can you make it out, Rodd?" cried Uncle Paul, who had hurried on deckwith the Count.

  "Well, I can just see something, uncle, and I suppose it's land."

  "Oh, that's right enough, my lad," cried the captain. "Can't beanything else."

  "Not clouds?"

  "Ah, I don't say that," cried the skipper. "You may see a bit of hazetoo, but there's solid land beneath. There, sir," continued theskipper, "that's what we are looking for. Now the next thing we want tosee is water."

  "Well, we can see that plainly enough, Joe," said Rodd, speaking withhis eyes still to the glass.

  "Ay, but he means dirty water, sir."

  "What do you want to see dirty water for?"

  "Muddy, then, sir, showing as there's a river coming out there. I say,sir, wouldn't t'other young gent like to come up and have a squint?"

  "Oh, of course. I forgot. Below there! Morny! Come on up and have alook."

  The lad sprang to the main shrouds and began to hurry up, while JoeCross, who had finished the task to achieve which he had been sent,began to lower himself down, leaving space for the young Frenchman, towhom the glass was handed in turn, ready for him to declare that hecould make out the distant land.

  "Ah," he panted, as he handed back the glass, "how I have longed to seethat! Now, Rodd, we shall soon get the brig careened over and the leaksrepaired, and then--"

  "Well," said Rodd, "what then?"

  "Be off to sea again," cried Morny excitedly.

  "Well, you seem in a precious hurry," grumbled Rodd.

  "Wouldn't you be if your schooner was like our brig?"

  "No. Uncle and I are reckoning upon making a lot of discoveries ashore.If you are on a scientific expedition, wouldn't that do as well foryou?"

  "No," replied the French lad shortly. "We must follow out ourresearches by sea."

  "Then what is it you are looking for? I thought you were going to tellme the other day."

  "Yes, my father," cried Morny, answering a hail from below. "I amcoming down."

  When the two lads descended it was to find that the Count had beenspeaking to the skipper, who had given orders for the schooner's boat tobe lowered so that the two visitors could return at once to the brig,with the understanding that both vessels were to send up studding sailsand use every possible speed now to get within touch of the shore,before making south and keeping a bright look-out for some estuary orriver mouth.

  "You will follow me, sir," said the skipper; "but do you know what thiscoast line will be like?"

  "I cannot say I do," replied the Count. "Cliff and hill, with mountainsfarther in?"

  "Nay, sir; all muddy shore, covered with dark green mangrove forest. Idon't suppose we shall be long before I send you up a signal; and thenwe can sail right in. There will be nothing to mind in the way ofrocks, for where I lead it will be all mud."

  Very shortly afterwards the lads parted, and as Rodd stood looking afterthe boat that was bearing their two visitors to the brig, Uncle Paulcame up close behind him.

  "Pity those two were born Frenchmen, Rodd, my boy," said the doctor,"for there is something very gentlemanly about the Count, and I likethat lad Morny too. There is something about him, Rodney, that youmight very well copy."

  "Is there, uncle?"

  "Yes, sir, there is. Certainly. I am not your father, but I am youruncle, and it gratifies me very much to see the polished, almostreverent way in which that lad behaves towards the Count. It's polite,and it's respectful, and it's--er--it's--er--"

  "Why, you wouldn't like it, uncle, if I were to behave to you just as hedoes to the Count."

  "Well, not exactly, Rodney, but there's something very nice about it.Great pity, though, that they are French, and so corroded, so crustedover, as I may call it, with a sort of hero-worship for that tyrannicalusurper. There, I won't mention his name."

  "That's right, uncle; don't, please."

  "Why, sir?"

  "Because it always makes you so cross, uncle."

  "Now, Rodney, that's what I don't like. If I have an antipathy to ascoundrel, and speak out firmly as an Englishman should, it is not for aboy like you to say I am cross; and I am quite sure that young Mornywould have had too much common-sense to speak out like that to hisfather. It is a great pity, though, that they are both, as I say, soeaten up with that hero-worship, and I am very much afraid that I spokea little too plainly to the Count to-day. It was rather unfortunatetoo. It was
just when we had been having a very interestingconversation upon the medusae, especially those of a phosphorescentnature. By the way, has Morny said much to you about the object oftheir research?"

  "No, uncle. He always seems disinclined to speak."

  "Humph! Yes, he does seem very reticent. His father as good as said,as I think I told you, that this was a voyage of discovery, a search forsomething he wanted to take back, and which was to make his country verygreat. But he has never said what, and it would be so veryungentlemanly to seem curious."

  "But you do feel curious to know, don't you, uncle?"

  "Well, I must confess, my boy, that I do--a little jealous, perhaps, ofanother man's success, for I did learn as much as this, that he feltpretty sure of being successful if he could get the brig sound again.Well, I suppose we shall know some day."

  "I don't like to say any more to Morny, uncle. It would seem so small;and besides, he never questions me anything about what we are doing--only seems very much interested."

  "You are quite right, Rodd. It would be mean and petty. Leave it tothem, and if they like to take us into their confidence, well and good.If they do not, well, it is no business of ours."

  "Why, uncle," cried Rodd suddenly, and then he stopped. "It isn'tbecause--"

  Rodd stopped short again, looking straight away over the sea, as if indeep thought.

  "Well, my boy? It isn't because what?"

  "Oh, I don't like to say, uncle. You would laugh at me."

  "How do you know that? Wait and see," cried Uncle Paul. "Now then,what were you thinking?"

  "I was wondering whether they could be trying to discover that which wefound quite by accident."

  "That which we found quite by accident, Pickle?"

  "Yes, uncle, and that may be the reason why they don't like to talkabout it. You see, all ships' captains and people have been so laughedat, and told that they are inventing fables, that they are very quietand like to keep things to themselves, just the same as Captain Chubbwas when we saw that thing. You see, uncle--"

  "Go on, Pickle! Go on!" cried Uncle Paul.

  "Oh, I haven't much more to say, uncle, only this--if ordinary captainsare so particular about speaking, and so afraid of ridicule, wouldn't abig scientific man like the Count, who has fitted out an expedition forthe discovery, be very careful too, lest the object of his voyage shouldget about? But oh, nonsense! It's ridiculous. It can't be that.Don't laugh at me, uncle. It's only what I thought."

  "I was not going to laugh at you, Rodney, my boy," said the doctorquietly, "for the simple reason that I do not see anything to laugh at.It's a very clever, good idea, and quite possible. Yes, my boy, it'smore than possible. I don't say that you are right, but very likely tobe. The Count and his son are French, and, like their countrymen, verytouchy and sensitive and afraid of ridicule. I shouldn't be at allsurprised, my boy, if that really is the reason for their being sosecretive in their ways."

  "I am glad you think so, uncle," cried the boy.

  "No, no, no; don't take it like that. It may be after all only a fancyof yours."

  "Yes, uncle, but if that's what they are searching for, to prove thatthere are such--such--er--what-you-may-call-'ems in the sea--"

  "Phenomena, boy--phenomena," said the doctor shortly.

  "Yes, uncle; phenomena--wouldn't it be an act of kindness to tell themthat we have already made the discovery, and try to show them the partof the ocean where such creatures are to be found?"

  "Hum! No, my boy. No. We should be making matters worse. Not onlyshould we be showing the Count and his son that we have found out whatthey want to keep secret, but we should be robbing them of the honour oftheir discovery as well. No; let them take us into their confidence ifthey like, and if they do, so much the better. If they do not--well,the loss is theirs."