Part 33 (1/2)

”Yo' all keep de boat dere a li'l while,” he said to Colin, and the lad took the oars.

Then very deftly the boatman pushed the long unwieldy pole into the water and nicked a sponge from the bed, bringing it up intact. On reaching the surface it was seen to be slimy and with a milky fluid dripping from the bottom.

”That's a ripe sponge, you see, Mr. Murren,” the boy said, pointing to the milky fluid; ”the slimy stuff that's dropping is full of germs of young sponges all ready to grow and swim and fix to something and then become proper sponges.”

”That may be a sponge,” said the prospective buyer, ”but it looks more like a piece of liver.”

”Fine sponge, sah,--good yellow sponge,” the boatman said, and Colin did not know enough either to affirm or deny.

”Now, Ah show yo' sheepswool sponge, quite diff'nt,” the boatman said, and taking up his water gla.s.s he leaned over the edge.

Just as he did so, both Colin and his companion gave a cry.

”Sharks!”

The boatman looked around contemptuously.

”Nu'sing shahks,” he said, ”sleep all de time.” He splashed his hand in the water and the sharks fled in all directions.

”You wouldn't feel that way if you had been in the water,” hazarded the capitalist.

”Ah done ride on 'em,” was the reply. ”Lots o' boys 'round dese hyeh reefs think it fun to steal up ove' a lot o' nu'sing shahks, an' den dive down an' take a ride. Dey wouldn't bite nothin' biggeh than a sahdine.”

”But you have got dangerous sharks here?”

”Yes, sah, you bet,” the boatman answered; ”dey was one ol' white shahk was a holy terror; he use' to show up hyeh reg'lah once a monf. Folks do say he eat up fo' men at diff'rent times.”

”I thought Mr. Collier told us that those shark stories were exaggerated,” said Paul, turning to Colin. ”I didn't think so, now you see, they weren't.”

”Oh, I guess the white shark is the real thing, all right,” Colin answered. ”Some fishermen found a fair-sized young sea lion almost whole in a shark's stomach about three years ago.”

”That must have been the fish that swallowed Jonah,” suggested Paul.

”He could have done it all right,” the other boy agreed, ”and he is about the only fish that could.”

”There might be some in the bottom of the sea!”

”I don't think so, Paul. Mr. Collier told me on the steamer that in the very deepest parts of the ocean there were no fish, only worms and sea-cuc.u.mbers and things like that.”

”If you'll listen a minute, sah,” said the boatman, ”yo'll heah somefin'

wo'se than eveh come from de bottom ob de sea.”

”Worse?”

”Worse!”

The two exclamations rang like one as the two boys strained into attention. They listened intently and then across the water came a whisking rus.h.i.+ng sound followed by a deep 'boom' and a distant splash.

It was several moments, too, before the swell from that splash reached the boat; when it did, the craft rocked noticeably.

”What is that?” asked Colin.

”Vampa, sah,” answered the boatman, as he took his oars and started to row away in the opposite direction.