CHAPTER 16
The Enchanted Fishes
I must now tell you what happened to Ervic and the three otherSkeezers who were left floating in the iron boat after Queen Coo-ee-ohhad been transformed into a Diamond Swan by the magic of the FlatheadSu-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 shecaptured the Flathead chief, as she hoped to do by means of her silverrope. They knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the submarineand 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 thesunken island. There were neither oars nor sails in the boat, whichwas not anchored but drifted quietly upon the surface of the lake.
The Diamond Swan had no further thought or care for her people. Shehad sailed over to the other side of the lake and all the calls andpleadings of Ervic and his companions were unheeded by the vain bird.As there was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in theirboat and waited as patiently as they could for someone to come totheir aid.
The Flatheads had refused to help them and had gone back to theirmountain. All the Skeezers were imprisoned in the Great Dome and couldnot help even themselves. When evening came, they saw the DiamondSwan, still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake, walk out of thewater to the sands, shake her diamond-sprinkled feathers, and thendisappear 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 andcast a silvery sheen over the surface of the water.
"Go to sleep," said Ervic to his companions. "I'll stay awake andwatch, for we may be rescued in some unexpected way."
So the other three laid themselves down in the bottom of the boat andwere 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'ssurprising events and wondered what would happen to the prisoners inthe Great Dome.
Suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the surface of thelake, not more than a foot from his eyes. A silverfish then raised itshead beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefishlifted its head beside the others. The three fish, all in a row,looked earnestly with their round, bright eyes into the astonishedeyes of Ervic the Skeezer.
"We are the three Adepts whom Queen Coo-ee-oh betrayed and wickedlytransformed," said the goldfish, its voice low and soft but distinctlyheard in the stillness of the night.
"I know of our Queen's treacherous deed," replied Ervic, "and I amsorry 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, notknowing what else to say.
"We knew that some day Coo-ee-oh would meet with the fate she sorichly deserves," declared the bronzefish. "We have waited and watchedfor this time. Now if you will promise to help us and will be faithfuland true, you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and saveyourself and all your people from the dangers that now threaten you."
"Well," said Ervic, "you can depend on my doing the best I can. ButI'm no witch, nor magician, you must know."
"All we ask is that you obey our instructions," returned thesilverfish. "We know that you are honest and that you served Coo-ee-ohonly because you were obliged to in order to escape her anger. Do aswe 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 whichdropped from Coo-ee-oh's hand when she was transformed," said thegoldfish. "Tie one end of that cord to the bow of your boat and dropthe other end to us in the water. Together we will pull your boat tothe shore."
Ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could move so heavy aboat, but he did as he was told and the fishes all seized their end ofthe silver cord in their mouths and headed toward the nearest shore,which was the very place where the Flatheads had stood when theyconquered Queen Coo-ee-oh.
At first the boat did not move at all, although the fishes pulled withall their strength. But presently the strain began to tell. Veryslowly the boat crept toward the shore, gaining more speed at everymoment. A couple of yards away from the sandy beach the fishes droppedthe 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 thesands.
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 inthe water of the lake, for it has had poison in it. When it iscleaned, fill it with fresh water and hold it over the side of theboat, so that we three may swim into the kettle. We will then instructyou 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. Carryingit a little way down the beach, he washed it well, scrubbing awayevery 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 threefishes or what strange happenings were taking place about them. Ervicdipped the kettle in the lake, holding fast to the handle until itwas under water. The gold and silver and bronze fishes promptly swaminto the kettle. The young Skeezer then lifted it, poured out a littleof the water so it would not spill over the edge, and said to thefishes: "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 leadingthrough the meadows, up hill and down dale. Follow the path until youcome to a cottage which is painted a purple color with whitetrimmings. When you stop at the gate of this cottage we will tell youwhat to do next. Be careful, above all, not to stumble and spill thewater from the kettle, or you would destroy us and all you have donewould be in vain."
The goldfish issued these commands and Ervic promised to be carefuland started to obey. He left his sleeping comrades in the boat,stepping cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the shore tookexactly one hundred steps to the east. Then he looked for the path andthe moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered it, although itwas hidden from view by tall weeds until one came full upon it. Thispath was very narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it wasquite distinct and Ervic had no difficulty in following it. He walkedthrough a broad meadow, covered with tall grass and weeds, up a hilland 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 moonsank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he discovered bythe roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple with whitetrimmings. It was a lonely place--no other buildings were anywhereabout and the ground was not tilled at all. No farmer lived here, thatwas certain. Who would care to dwell in such an isolated place?
But Ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. He went upto the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle carefullydown and bending over it asked:
"What next?"
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