“I am not quite so soft as they take me for,” he added, confidentially, to Strachan presently.
“Of course you are not, my dear fellow,” said Tom. “I doubt if it would be possible.”
“Now that MacBean, the doctor, you know: did you hear what he said about the fresh water coming down from the hills in the rainy season, and making gaps in the coral because fresh water killed the insects that make the coral?”
“Yes, I heard him,” said Strachan, wondering what fault Green could find with what seemed to him a very lucid explanation.
“As if I was going to swallow that!” said the other. “The rainy season, indeed! Why, every one knows that rain never falls in Egypt.”
“But, my dear fellow, this isn’t Egypt for one thing, and it rains sometimes everywhere, I expect,” said Tom, who was somewhat tired of imposing on the innocence of Green, who was a very willing and good-tempered lad. “Do you know you remind me of a very old story of a sailor-lad who returned home to his grandmother after a cruise in these very waters. It may be familiar to you.”
“I don’t remember it,” said Green.
“Well, it is really so apt that I will tell it.”
“‘What did you see that was curious, Jack?’ asked the old woman. ‘Well, granny, there were flying fish; they came right out of the water and flew on the deck, and we picked them up on it.’ The old woman laughed and shook her head. ‘What else, Jack?’ ‘Why, I wish you could see the sea at night in them parts, granny; where the ship disturbs the water it all sparkles, and you can see her track a long way, like a regular road of fire.’ ‘Ha, ha! Go it, Jack. What else?’ Jack’s budget of fact was exhausted for the moment, so he had to take refuge in fiction. ‘Well, when we were in the Red Sea, you know, we hauled up the anchor, and we found a carriage-wheel on one of the flukes. A queer old wheel it was. And the chaplain, he looked at it and found the maker’s name, which was that of Pharaoh’s coach-builder. So he said there was no doubt it belonged to his army, when he followed the Israelites after they had gone out of Egypt.’ ‘Ah, now you are telling me what is worth listening to!’ cried the old woman. ‘We know that Pharaoh’s host was drowned in the Red Sea, and that they had a many chariots. It is like enough you should fish one of the wheels up. But to try to stuff your poor old granny that fish can fly, and water take fire! For shame, you limb!’”
Green was a bit thoughtful, and puzzled over the application of this fable; but Strachan having to hurry off on duty, he could not question him further.