do
nothing more," he continued, as, following his nephew's example, he
strained his eyes over the darkening plain.

"No," said the captain. "Cover up that gun, my lads, and break off.
You, Cross, take charge of the gun, and well sponge her out. You
others, pikes; fall in. Now then, right face. March!"

"I'm disappointed," said the doctor, as the men were marched off. "I
should have liked to have had a closer examination of that creature.
Well, captain, what next?"

"Tea," said the skipper bluntly.

The tropics were very near, and the night began to come on rapidly, so
that the tea meal was partaken of by the light of the swinging lamp.
But before it was over the moon rose above the sea very bright and
silvery, and getting rapidly near the full, while later on as it rose
higher it was nearly as light as day.

Rodd was anxious to get on deck again, to see if by any possibility the
weird-looking object that they had seen that evening might rise to the
surface; but anxious as he was to join the sailors and question them as
to whether they had seen anything more, the conversation between his
uncle and the skipper kept him below, where he listened to their
different expressed opinions.

At last, though, he went on deck, and found all the men grouped together
forward, and whispering to themselves about the visitor they had seen.

One man said it was a sign, and another grunted, while a third turned to
Joe Cross to ask his opinion.

It was the stout heavy member of the crew who went by the name of the
Bun, and seeming the most impressed of the whole crew he asked Joe Cross
as above.

"Yes," said Cross slowly, "you are quite right, Ikey Gregg. It's a
sign."

"What's a sign?" asked Rodd, coming up.

"The--the--Bun--Ikey Gregg says it is a sign, sir, that we see that big
squirming wormy thing, and I says he's quite right, sir. It is a sign."

"Why, what can it be a sign of, Joe?"

"Sea's calm, sir, and that brings all the shoals of young fish up to the
top to feed, and that there thing that feeds on them come up to the top
to get a regular tuck out."

"Oh, that won't do," said Gregg the fat. "Things like that only come up
to the top at particular times, and you mark my words, it means a
storm."

As the man finished, he turned his eyes to right and left, scanning the
beautiful silvery water before him, and then uttering a loud yell, he
dashed by his companions, made for the forecastle hatch, and without