03 Underwater Adventure (5 page)

Sticking to the shark’s hide by their vacuum cups were two remoras or sucker fish. They were just going along for the ride. When the shark found something good to eat, scraps would float back to the remoras.

Out in front of the shark’s nose was a quite different kind of fish. It wore vertical black-and-yellow stripes. It was a pilot fish.

It swam so close to the great jaws that the shark could easily have gobbled it up, but never did so. For the pilot fish was extremely useful to the shark. Its senses were very acute and it could often detect food when the shark could not. The little pilot would lead the shark to his dinner. Of course it was understood that the pilot would be paid for his services by a share in the meal.

Hal did not like the behaviour of the pilot fish. It would dart down to the mouth of the canyon, then back to the shark, then down again.

Finally the great shark languidly dipped and followed his small leader. This time the pilot did not pause at the brink of the canyon but swam down into it and the shark followed.

Hal knew it was time to move, but where? Desperately he cast about for a chance of escape.

Beside him in the face of the cliff were great holes, so. common in coral reefs. He selected one that was about his size but too small for the big-headed shark. He swam in, his tank scraping on the ceiling.

Farther in the cavity widened and he was able to turn about and face towards the entrance.

Presently he saw the pilot fish leading the shark straight to the hole. The little pilot turned aside at the last moment, but the tiger came on. Hal shrank back as the great mouth, three feet wide, was pressed against the opening. Suppose the great shark were able to break down the coral and force its way in?

With the entrance completely blocked, the cave was as black as night. Hal lived through an agony of suspense.

Gradually he began to hope that he had successfully baffled the shark.

But just as he was beginning to feel more at ease, he

was startled by a blow on his leg. There was something else in the cave with him. It might be just a harmless fish of some sort. It might be something not so harmless.

Suddenly light poured into the cave. The shark had backed off, at least for a moment. But he still hovered only a few feet away.

Hal examined the walls and roof of his retreat. Then he discovered his companion. From a crevice near his left elbow two unspeakably evil eyes peered out. Below them was an open mouth set with rows of inch-long, incurved teeth like those of a boa constrictor. Back of the mouth were gill openings.

But Hal knew that this was no fish. No fish in the seven seas could have such terrible eyes. Besides, the dark green skin was nothing like the scaly hide of a fish.

Hal knew that he was looking straight into the eyes of a giant moray eel. Being a good animal-collector, the first thing he thought of was not his own safety but the fact that this was one of the specimens Dr Blake most wanted to obtain. Of course, to be of any use in an aquarium, it must be captured alive.

He had no noose, no net, no narcotic drug. He had nothing but his two hands. And just outside the door waited a tiger shark.

But perhaps he could use the moray to get rid of the shark! The giant moray is the shark’s most dreaded enemy. Even though the shark may be three times as large, it is at the mercy of the moray which can wheel and turn and twist so fast that the heavy fish cannot succeed in locking its jaws upon this wriggle of green lightning. The moray can take bite after bite from the soft underbelly until the shark bleeds profusely

and other sharks come in to finish off what is left.

If he could just take the moray out with him he was quite sure that the shark would call it a day and disappear. He must grip the moray just behind the head exactly as he had often captured snakes. But he had never tried it with a giant moray. Those gill slits would be useful - if he could lock his fingers into them that would help him to hold on.

Suddenly both hands shot out towards the moray’s neck. But the moray moved faster and the powerful jaws closed on Hal’s left wrist. The sharp teeth bit painfully into his flesh. A thin trickle of Hal’s blood oozed from the moray’s mouth.

Attracted by the blood, the shark again pushed its great face into the cave entrance, shutting off the light. Hal tried to pull his arm away, but the teeth only sank deeper.

If he struggled he would lose his arm. He must be patient. If this great eel followed the habits of other eels, sooner or later it would relax its grip in order to take better hold. In that instant, he might wrench his arm away.

But it was an agony to be patient under such circumstances. To make matters worse, the shark, excited by the smell of blood, began battering the entrance with his armour-plated head. Chunks of coral fell and the opening grew wider.

But suddenly there was a change of tactics. The big fish left the cave and swam away.

What Hal saw when he looked out made him wish that he could call the tiger back. For it was headed straight towards Roger and Skink who were just then floating above the canyon.

Skink turned and saw the oncoming fish. Instead of warning Roger, he left him to his fate, and put on all speed to reach the ladder. Then he swarmed up to the safety of the deck.

Roger, appearing bewildered, looked about him and discovered the shark which had stopped some twelve feet away. Hal was tortured with anxiety for Roger. Yet he held his arm quiet in the moray’s mouth. He prayed that the creature would think the thing it held in its mouth was dead, and would loosen its jaws to get a better bite.

Then a new actor appeared on the scene. Dr Blake dived in, a shark knife held in his hand. It was a gallant thing to do, for Hal knew that the chances against Blake were a hundred to one.

Why didn’t that kid brother of his swim for the ship? Blake was motioning him towards the ladder. But Roger would not desert the scientist as Skink had deserted him. He drew his own knife from his belt and turned with Blake to face the tiger shark.

Unless Hal could do something, they were both quite sure to be killed. If they retreated now towards the ship, the shark would plunge after them. Their only chance was to frighten it by resolutely advancing towards it, and this they did. Sometimes that was enough to scare

a shark.

But not this one. It stood its ground as they advanced. It opened its jaws in a sort of lazy yawn and the cavity was big enough to take in both of its enemies at one gulp.

Hal had been cold, but now he felt as if the sweat were streaming from every pore. It took tremendous nerve to keep his left arm still and limp. Presently he thought he felt a loosening of the jaws, but still he did not move his arm. He let it lie like a dead thing.

Suddenly the jaws opened and closed again all in a flash. But this time Hal moved faster, and the jaws harmlessly clacked together as both of his hands went around the moray’s neck and his fingers gripped the gill openings.

At once pandemonium was let loose hi the cave. The eel thrashed about wildly and its tail which had thumped Hal during the blackout, now beat a tattoo upon Hal’s legs. Too much of this would break a leg, for the moray could strike with the blow of a sledge hammer.

But its greatest desire now was to escape from the cave, and this happened to be Hal’s most fervent wish also. By a common impulse, they shot out of the hole into the blue depths of the canyon.

Hal kept his grip on the creature’s throat and locked his legs over the body, riding it as one would ride a horse. He twisted the green head upwards so that the eel was forced to swim towards the shark.

The big tiger was now slowly circling the two men with knives, watching for a chance to close in on them. Sharks are rather near-sighted, and it was not until the moray was within thirty yards that the tiger saw it. Then with a mighty slash of its tail it shot off through the lagoon, leaving two very much surprised and relieved swimmers behind it.

They were still more astonished when they saw what had frightened the shark. Straight towards them came a giant eel with a man from Mars on its back. It sped past them and collided with the ladder, Hal locking his leg around one of the rungs.

Blake and Roger hurried to help him. Dr Blake climbed to the deck and got a lasso, then went down again and fastened the noose over the moray’s head. Hal still kept his grip on the throat as Blake and Roger, with the help of Omo and Captain Ike, hauled the struggling monster up on to the deck and into a specimen tank full of water. It was noticed that during this time Skink stood at a safe distance.

The great eel looked like a furious sea serpent as it thrashed about in the tank, making the water boil. Dr Blake was delighted. ‘It’s nearly ten feet long,’ he exclaimed. ‘Wait till they see this at the Institute! Hunt, you’re all right!’ His hand fell on Hal’s shoulder. Then he noticed the bleeding arm.

‘Omo,’ he called. ‘Bring the aid kit.’

But Omo didn’t need to be told. He was already coming up the companionway with a pitcher of hot water in one hand and an assortment of drugs and bandages in the other.

He helped Hal off with his diving gear, then bathed the arm. He put his mouth to the deeper cuts and sucked out the poison. Then he applied iodine, and a bandage.

‘Dr Blake,’ Hal said, ‘thanks a lot for coming down just when you did.’

‘Well,’ said Blake, ‘when Inkham scrambled aboard with his eyes popping, I guessed you must be in trouble. By the way, where is Inkham?’

Inkham emerged from behind the mainmast.

Blake said contemptuously, ‘It’s safe for you to come out now, Inkham.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ Skink said sourly.

‘I mean you have some explaining to do.’

‘There’s nothing to explain. Along comes a shark. I warn the kid but he’s so scared stiff he can’t move. I tried to drag him to the boat …’

‘Did you see this?’ Blake asked Hal.

‘I saw it all. He’s lying. He gave Roger no warning. He simply hot-footed it for the boat.’

‘I thought so,’ Blake said. ‘You’re a coward, Inkham.’

Skink bristled. An ugly leer came over his face.

‘I don’t take that from anyone,’ he snarled. ‘Stand up, Blake. Your time has come. I’m going to give you a lesson in manners.’

Blake rose to his feet. He advanced upon Skink. But Hal stopped him.

‘Hold it,’ Hal said. ‘If you mess him up there won’t be anything left for me to work on. After all, it was my brother he walked out on. Besides, there’s another score to be settled. I’m guessing he put that scorpion in my helmet.’

Skink laughed loudly.

‘You guessed right! And I wish it had killed you.’

Hal, who had been sitting on the deck, rose. When he was half up, Skink kicked him in the face and sent him rolling to the far rail.

It was just what Hal needed to tune every nerve and muscle for the fight. He sprang like a wild-cat tip on to the boom and from this perch he came down like a ton of lead on Skink’s shoulders. Skink was flattened to the deck, but he squirmed like a snake and twisted himself on top of his enemy. Then he seized Hal by the hair and crashed his head repeatedly against an iron stanchion.

Hal, dizzy from the blows, still managed to get to his feet and land a hard blow in his opponent’s midriff.

Skink doubled up like a jack-knife. Hal had a sudden idea. Before Skink could straighten himself out, Hal had leaped on to a plank that lay across the specimen tank containing the angry moray.

‘Come on up,’ he invited Skink. ‘The eel gets the loser.’

Skink hesitated. His staring eyes went back and forth from Hal to the serpent-like monster that churned the water and leaped repeatedly, with razor jaws wide open, up towards the plank on which Hal stood.

Dr Blake laughed. This stung Skink into action. He sprang upon the board and attacked with such fury that Hal almost lost his footing.

The two closed in a clinch, each trying to upset the other into the pool. The great eel beneath became more and more excited. Its wild leaps now brought its jaws closer and closer to the two strong twisting bodies.

The moray, like the octopus, is highly temperamental. In one mood it may be timid and retiring, but when thoroughly aroused it becomes a raging devil. What would happen to anyone who fell into that tank now, it was better not to think about.

Skink tripped Hal who fell across the board, his feet dangling on one side, his head on the other. He jerked his feet up as the moray made a pass at them. Then the moray shot to the other side of the board and leaped to bury its teeth in his face. It missed only by inches.

Skink deliberately put his foot on Hal’s head to force it down within range of the poisonous teeth. Hal reached back and gripped Skink’s ankle. A good wrench destroyed Skink’s equilibrium and he fell with a terrified howl into the pool.

Hal realized what he had done. The infuriated eel might kill Skink. Even now it was preparing for a rush, its green head above the water, its evil eyes blazing.

As it plunged forward, Hal slid off the board into the tank. He caught the giant by the throat as it swept past, and was carried along by it. He struggled to turn the creature’s head aside and give Skink a chance to escape.

He got sudden help from Dr Blake who appeared with a landing net at the end of a long pole. He scooped the moray’s head in the net. The powerful moray proceeded to tear it in pieces, but the delay provided enough time for Omo and Captain Ike to haul the screaming Skink out of the tank. Hal climbed to safety. Dr Blake withdrew the torn net.

Skink lay blubbering on the deck, still beside himself with fear and rage. Then, finding he was quite safe, his old arrogance returned. He stood up, dripping, shaking his fists at Hal.

‘You’ll pay for this,’ he said thickly. ‘Just wait. And you …’ he addressed Dr Blake, ‘you’ll wish you had never seen me.’

‘I wish that now,’ said Blake.

‘You think you’re boss of this ship,’ sneered Skink. ‘You think you’re going to order me about, make me dive for specimens, find sunken ships, bring up treasure - for you! Well, I’ll do that, but I’ll do it for myself. If there’s any treasure coming up, it’s going to be mine. I’m going to be chief of this outfit. And as for you, Blake, 1 see in my crystal ball that you’re going to have a bad accident - a very bad accident.’