shark turned, noticed production and greedy grabbed in a mouth a hook.
– Devil take it, it was provocation from fish pilot! – Simpkins exclaimed.
The shark was thrown and so pulled a rope that two sailors fell to the deck and the ship took an easy list. Fight began. Sailors released a rope, selected, tightening more and more growing weak animal. Passed not less than an hour, pre-chspr than it was succeeded to pull out a shark on the deck. Tired, it lay as dead.
– Aha, got, my dear! – with a celebration told Simpkins, approaching a shark.
– I bet – told Gatling – that you regret, to Simpkins, about absence at a shark of hands.
– Why?
– You would put on them “bracelets”.
– Still stuck! – with surprise Viviana, увидав the fish who stuck to a stomach of a shark exclaimed.
– A usual thing – Thomson answered. – Bores often do it and have threefold advantage for themselves: so to speak, gratuitous journey, full safety from other predators under cover of the sea of the enemy, terrible for all inhabitants, and some remains from a plentiful table of gluttonous sharks.
– In a word, everywhere same – noticed Simpkins – around big criminals the small pack of swindlers for small instructions always spins.
– It is a little more, Simpkins, and you will write scientific work: “Underworld of inhabitants of the sea” – told, smiling, Gatling.
Симпкинс approached closer a shark and suddenly, having grasped a hand the bore, began to pull:
– And well, we will look whether you will keep?
The bore as if grew to a stomach of a shark. Then Simpkins with a force pulled fish. The shark unexpectedly started a huge body and slapped Simpkins a tail with such force that it, having waved in air legs, flew through a board and fell in the sea.
Professor Thomson with emotion shouted to the sailor:
– Throw a rope rather!
Gatling this nervousness and haste of the scientist surprised. Симпкинс there was a quite good swimmer, bathing in warm, almost hot water did not threaten with cold.
But Thomson was afraid of another: he knew that sharks often pass packs. Where one floated, there can be also others.
And his fears were not vain. Not far really suddenly seemed it is unknown from where the undertaken sharks. They quickly approached Simpkins who did not notice them yet. Meanwhile already carried the ship on several meters from Simpkins.
– Rather, Simpkins, rather! – shouted to it.
The captain gave the order to stop the car, and ingenious sailors, without expecting an order, with feverish haste lowered the boat.
– What do you worry? I swim as a stopper! – Simpkins which was not suspecting dangers yet shouted, but, seeing that all views are directed not to it, and somewhere in the sea, looked back, grew cold with horror and began to work with despair hands and legs. But the become wet clothes slowed down swimming.
When the boat with three sailors swam up to Simpkins, sharks were about him. One of them, having swum up under Simpkins, already turned on a back and opened the wide mouth seated by several rows of teeth, but someone from sailors thrust an oar which instantly was shattered in small spills in an open mouth. And it saved Simpkins. Other sailor helped it to get into the boat.
The predators angered by the fact that production left from them fought at the boat, trying to turn it. Several times they almost managed it. The boat turned, tilted, scooping edge water. The sailor beat off an oar fragment, others strenuously rowed. At last with great difficulty sailors and Simpkins moored to a board and ascended on “Defiant”.
All breathed a sigh of relief.
Симпкинс panted. From his clothes water flew down on the deck, spreading pools.
– I thank you – at last he said. – I will go to change clothes. – And, far bypassing the lying shark, splashing wet legs, Simpkins went down in a cabin.
The scientific collection of Thomson quickly grew. Sea needles and skates, aktennariya, flying fishes, a hedgehog fish, spotty sinerog, crabs, shrimps, mollusks, graceful gidroidny polyps, kladokorina and salpa flaunted in banks with alcohol in the form of effigies and skeletons, filling laboratory and adjacent cabins.
“Defiant” turned on the North and went on a continuous carpet of seaweed.
Despite often falling intermittently rains, Thomson tirelessly researched the Sargasso Sea. The Gatling helped it, and time passed imperceptibly. In the evenings, after a lunch, they took seat in comfortably arranged cabin and listened to fascinating stories of Thomson about inhabitants of the sea – the strange, extraordinary world, so unlike the familiar surface world.
From all participants of an expedition one Simpkins missed and felt unfortunate. Its organism got used to the constant movement. Nervous rise, unseparable with ventures, was necessary for it as drug. And in this quiet situation of Simpkins felt ill. Yawning, he wandered about the ship, disturbed all – from the captain to the fireman, grumbled, smoked and contemptuously spat in the sea.
There were gloomy, gray days. Sometimes fog clouded everything a white veil. In this part of the ocean there was no danger to collide with the passing ship and therefore “Defiant” went, without detaining the course; only occasionally, just in case, the siren howled, and this sound directed horror among surrounding silence.
– And where this Island got lost! – Simpkins grumbled.
And really as if washed away the Island of the Lost Ships from the surface of the ocean. By all calculations, it had to be in these parts. “Defiant” wandered in the center of the Sargasso Sea, changing the direction, but the Island was not.
There passed days behind days, and around there was the same gray sky, a brown surface саргасс, an impenetrable distance in fog.
Already not only Simpkins, but also Gatlingi began to worry about whether it will manage to them to find the Island which is not marked on one map.
One night all were going to discuss situation. The captain shrugged shoulders:
– What I can do! We look for as blind people. So we can swim year – and without any result. Our travel dragged on. The team shows discontent. “In this swamp only to catch frogs” – sailors grumble.
– What do you offer? – asked Gatling.
The captain shrugged shoulders again.
– I suggest to stop these aimless searches and to return.
The Gatling thought.
– Your opinion, professor?
Thomson made a helpless gesture:
– What
