“I know,” said Billy Wriggs, “it was a mykreescope.”
“Dessay it was,” said Smith. “It might ha’ been anything. It’s wonderful what there is in nat’re, my lads. Pity though as a man’s hands and legs and arms don’t grow again, as some things does.”
“Tchah! They don’t,” said Billy Wriggs.
“What? Why, they do, lots of ’em. Don’t lobsters’ claws grow again, and lizards tails, and starfishes arms? What yer got to say to that? Mr Lane tells me that there’s some kinds o’ worms as when you cuts their heads off they grows again, and their tails too. There we are, though—to-morrow morning.”
The man was right, for day was breaking, and, after the manner of the tropics, where there is scarcely any dawn, the sun soon rose to light up the desolation around the ship, where the earthquake wave had swept along, piling up sand and rock with heaps formed of torn-up trees, lying near the pools of water which remained in the depressions of the sand.
“Swabs,” cried Mr Rimmer, coming forward, and buckets of water being fetched, the unpleasant stains left by the wounded serpents were soon moved, though the shot marks remained.
While the men were cleansing the deck and removing the traces left by the storm, a little party of three, all well armed, set off to try and trace the serpents and to get a truthful knowledge of their size, the darkness having given rather an exaggerated idea of their dimensions. In addition, if found dead, it was proposed to skin them for specimens, and to this end Smith accompanied them, declaring his willingness to master his fear of the reptiles and help in any way.
Before leaving the ship they took a good look round, at what promised to be a beautiful resting-place, as soon as the vegetation began to spring again, as it was certain to do in that moist tropical heat. Then taking it for granted that the serpents would make for cover, the steps of the little party were directed towards the nearest trees, a clump upon a broad elevated spot which had escaped the devastations caused by the wave and not many hundred yards from the ship.
“Seems rum, gentlemen,” said Smith as they shouldered their guns, and strode off with a wonderful feeling of elasticity and freedom, after their long cooping up on board ship.
“What does?” said Oliver.