The ship of Altair lay at a wharf, and strong brown-faced men worked in the hazy sun, rolling kegs of water to the deck and carrying bags of meal down into the hold. Presently Kraken, sitting in the stern of a red boat rowed by six of his sailors, came over to call upon Altair.
And stowing the Bell of the Earth in the hold of his ship, the young Captain sailed eastward and southward through the sea
And now Altair and Kraken stood in the dark hold of the ship, and Altair held up a great light so that Kraken might see the wonderful bell. And beholding the bell, how fair it was, Kraken said in his secret heart:—
“If the Captain Altair shall return to the land of the South with this wonderful bell, my bell will never win the treasure of the King. I must find a way to destroy this captain and his bell!”
Turning to Altair he said, “Brother Captain, when do you sail away?”
“To-morrow at high noon,” replied Altair.
“At high noon?” said Kraken, his envious eyes suddenly lit with a wicked thought. “You dare then to sail at night through the reefs of the Perilous Isles?”
“My ship is fast,” replied Altair, “and I shall find the floating bell of the fairway before the sun has set. Once I find it, what is there to fear? The passage which it marks is deep and wide. And the Bell has a brave clang.”
And now it was the next morn, and Kraken sailed early from the port. All morning he sailed over a lonely gulf of the sea, and arrived at noon before the Perilous Isles. It was a windy day, the hazy sky was now open, now overcast, and here, there, and all about the reefs were breaking white. Gulls barked and piped, and the shaggy weed-hung sides of the nearer reefs rose and fell with the waves.