distance as the
two consorts with their natural history seekers rode over the dazzling
silver sea. The lads were abaft the schooner's wheel, quite inseparable
now, looking down through the eddying water at the fish, which seemed to
have taken the swift vessel for some mighty companion of their own
nature, in whose wake they could swim along in peace without fear of
lesser enemies.

About an hour before, the brig's gig had brought the Count and his son
alongside the schooner, and the former was below in the doctor's
museum-like laboratory, listening to his learned friend's remarks upon
some fresh object that, now they had returned to the ways of peace, had
been fished up from just below the surface of the sea.

Four of the schooner's crew were under an awning, lying upon a couple of
doubled-up spare sails which had been spread upon the deck, and the two
lads had been seated with them chatting for some little time before they
strolled aft.

"How well your men look," Morny said suddenly--"all except Joe Cross."

"Yes, he looks rather thin and pale, doesn't he?" said Rodd quickly;
"but he isn't ill. You saw how full of fun he was, and ready to joke
about having been bled too much. Uncle says he'll soon be well again,
for he's in such good spirits. But uncle told me quietly that it was a
wonder to him none of the poor fellows were killed. But oh, I say,
isn't this nice!"

"Lazy," said Morny.

"Oh, I don't call it lazy. It's so jolly to be able to hang about in
the sunshine without feeling that there's some great trouble coming on
directly."

"Ah, yes," replied Morny, with a sigh, "and that perhaps you may not
live to see me next day."

"Well," said Rodd, "I don't think it's lazy. Uncle says that after you
have been at work very hard it's like unstringing the bow; and so it is.
I want to begin fishing or dredging or sounding again. I don't want
any more shooting. Now, do you know what I should like just now?"

"No."

"I'd soon show you then that I wasn't lazy. I should like to see one of
those beautiful ripples two or three hundred yards off which show
that there's a shoal of fish feeding on the transparent
what-you-may-call-'ems--I forget Uncle Paul's name for them."

"Well, if that would give you any satisfaction," said Morny, laughing,
"I wish that a shoal would rise."

"Don't you be in such a hurry; I hadn't finished. I was going to say I
should then like to see one of those great sea-serpent-l