“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 even timid. 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?”