CHAPTER XV
Atlast 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.
“‘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 eventimid. And don’t think that because her mouth is large she can eat large animals.”
“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 iscalled 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.”
“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 Marsovinoand 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.
“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 wereheard 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.
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 whalenow 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.