“I’ll not touch you unless there’s an occasion for it. How did you get this whale?”
“I was walking along the beach, and I saw it come in. I ran out and put my card on it. I got my feet wet, too, and I’m going to get paid for all my trouble. Now all you people get away. I’m going to have a tent put up, and charge admission.”
The crowd gathered closer about the boys, the sailor, Noddy and the whale. The big creature lay in a little hollow scooped in the sand by the action of the waves. It had been stranded at high tide.
“If I thought you knew better I’d spank you, sonny,” spoke Sam, in quiet but determined tones. “I guess you’d better run along home to your mother now.”
This made Noddy furious. He drew back his hand as though to strike the sailor. The latter, however, only laughed. He thrust the angry youth to one side, and, striding to the whale, placed his hand on the harpoon handle and exclaimed:
“Friends, this is the whale I and the three boys here killed yesterday. We made fast to him, and he towed us quite a ways out, before we had to cut loose. My harpoon killed the whale and it’s mine. There’s my initials on the handle, and there’s the notches to show how many other creatures my iron has gone into.”
“What’s all the trouble?” asked a tall, bronzed man, pushing his way into the crowd.
“Hello, Captain Trembly!” cried Sam, recognizing the master of a near-by life saving station. “Here’s a whale of mine that’s come ashore, and this young man lays claim to it because he saw it first.”