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At last I comes down to the bottom of the sea, and glad I were to git there, becoz now I couldn't go no further. There I lies doubled up like a old sea-sarpint along of the rocks, but warm and comforble like.
"Yes, it is something like that, Rodd," said the doctor; "but no conger eel could be as large as that, and really I don't know." "Sea-sarpint, sir," whispered Joe Cross to Rodd, and looking longingly at the glass the while. "Nonsense!" cried Rodd. "Here, you have a look, Joe," and he passed the glass to the sailor. "Now then," he said, "what do you make of it?" "I say sea-sarpint, sir."
"'Mean by what, sir? asks Joe. "'Putting your black ugly face over the side o' the ship an' frightening my sea-sarpint! bellows the skipper, 'You know how easy it's skeered. "'Frightening the sea-sarpint? ses Joe, trembling all over, an' turning very white. "'If I see that face o' yours over the side agin, my lad, ses the skipper very fierce, 'I'll give it a black eye. Now cut!
"Afore he could think o" anything else to say, Joe ups with his fist an' gives 'im one in the ribs as nearly broke 'em. Then he turns away 'is 'ead an' shivers again, an' the old dazed look come back. "'Joe, I ses, shaking him, 'Joe! "'Frightened the sea-sarpint! whispers Joe, staring. "'Joe, I ses, 'Joe. You know me, I'm your pal, Bill. "'Ay, ay, ses Joe, coming round a bit.
"Arter three days had passed, and the thing was still follering us, everybody made certain of taking it to New York, an' I b'leeve if it hadn't been for Joe Cooper the question about the sea-sarpint would ha' been settled long ago. He was a most eggstraordinary ugly chap was Joe.
But, say, Mas'r Harry, was it such a werry big un?" "Was what a very big one?" I said wonderingly. "Why, the sarpint it might have been a sea-sarpint, for nobody seemed to believe in it." "Yes," I said moodily, "an enormous beast." "And he got it pretty hot from the tiger thing?" "You saw the blood about, and now hold your tongue." "But I ain't done yet, Mas'r Harry," said Tom eagerly.
"'He's been like that for three hours, ses the second engineer in a whisper, 'dazed like. "As he spoke Joe gave a little shudder; 'Frighten the sea-sarpint! ses he, 'O Lord! "'It's turned his brain, ses one o' the firemen, 'he keeps saying nothing but that. "'If we could only make 'im cry, ses the second engineer, who had a brother what was a medical student, 'it might save his reason.
"By the e-tar-nal snakes!" exploded Tugg, "it's a different kind of a sea-bat from anything I ever seed or heard of. You take it from me, that's a sea-sarpint, or wuss!" The whale was evidently at its last gasp when we left the schooner. It soon rolled over on its side. The mysterious flail stopped beating the huge body and the water seemed churned excitedly at the nose of the leviathan.
The captain growled more deeply than ever. "Sea-sarpint!" he said, in a tone of disgust. "There, hold your tongue, my lad. You're a naturalist, doctor; you haven't got no sea-sarpints in your books, have you?" "No," replied the doctor, handing the glass to one of the men, as he caught his longing eye. "But this must be a very curious fish, and it is evidently feeding.
"'What's the matter? ses the skipper, who just came up. "'This man has seen the sea-sarpint, sir, that's all, ses the mate. "'Y-y-yes, said Sam, with a sort o' sob. "'Well, there ain't much doing just now, ses the skipper, 'so you'd better get a slice o' bread and feed it. "The mate bust out larfing, an' I could see by the way the skipper smiled he was rather tickled at it himself.