All on board of the Duncan followed the movements of the shark with lively attention. The animal was soon within reach of the hook; he turned upon his back, in order to seize it better, and the enormous bait disappeared down his vast gullet. At the same time he hooked himself, giving the line a violent shake, whereupon the sailors hoisted the huge creature by means of a pulley at the end of the yardarm.
The shark struggled violently at feeling himself drawn from his natural element, but his struggles were of no avail. A rope with a slip-noose confined his tail and paralyzed his movements. A few moments afterward he was hauled over the ratlings, and precipitated upon the deck of the yacht. One of the sailors at once approached him, not without caution, and with a vigorous blow of the hatchet cut off the formidable tail of the animal.
The chase was ended, and there was nothing more to fear from the monster. The vengeance of the sailors was satisfied, but not their curiosity. Indeed, it is customary on board of every vessel to carefully examine the stomachs of sharks. The men, knowing the inordinate voracity of the creature, wait with some anxiety, and their expectation is not always in vain.
Lady Glenarvan, not wishing to witness this strange “exploration,” retired to the cabin. The shark was still panting. He was ten feet long, and weighed more than six hundred pounds. These dimensions are nothing extraordinary; for if the balance-fish is not classed among the giants of this species, at least he belongs to the most formidable of their family.
The enormous fish was soon cut open by a blow of the hatchet, without further ceremony. The hook had penetrated to the stomach, which was absolutely empty. Evidently the animal had fasted a long time, and the disappointed seamen were about to cast the remains into the sea, when the attention of the mate was attracted by a bulky object firmly imbedded in the viscera.
“Ha! what is this?” he exclaimed.
“That,” replied one of the sailors, “is a piece of rock that the creature has taken in for ballast.”
“Good!” said another; “it is probably a bullet that this fellow has received in the stomach, and could not digest.”
“Good,” said Glenarvan; “wash the dirty thing, and bring it into the cabin.”
“Be still, all of you!” cried Tom Austin, the mate; “do you not see that the animal was a great drunkard? and to lose nothing, has drank not only the wine, but the bottle too!”
“What!” exclaimed Lord Glenarvan, “is it a bottle that this shark has in his stomach?”
“A real bottle!” replied the mate, “but you can easily see that it does not come from the wine cellar.”
“Well, Tom,” said Glenarvan, “draw it out carefully. Bottles found in the sea frequently contain precious documents.”
“Do you think so?” said Major MacNabb.
“I do; at least, that it may happen so.”
“Oh! I do not contradict you,” replied the major. “Perhaps there may be a secret in this.”
“We shall see,” said Glenarvan. “Well, Tom?”
“Here it is,” said the mate, displaying the shapeless object that he had just drawn with difficulty from the interior of the shark.
“Good,” said Glenarvan; “wash the dirty thing, and bring it into the cabin.”
Tom obeyed; and the bottle found under such singular circumstances was placed on the cabin table, around which Lord Glenarvan, Major MacNabb, and Captain John Mangles took their seats, together with Lady Helena; for a woman, they say, is always a little inquisitive.
Everything causes excitement at sea. For a moment there was silence. Each gazed wonderingly at this strange waif. Did it contain the secret of a disaster, or only an insignificant message confided to the mercy of the waves by some idle navigator?
However, they must know what it was, and Glenarvan, without waiting longer, proceeded to examine the bottle. He took, moreover, all necessary precautions. You would have thought a coroner was pointing out the particulars of a suspicious quest. And Glenarvan was right, for the most insignificant mark in appearance may often lead to an important discovery.
Before examining it internally, the bottle was inspected externally. It had a slender neck, the mouth of which was protected by an iron wire considerably rusted. Its sides were very thick, and capable of supporting a pressure of several atmospheres, betraying evidently previous connection with champagne. With these bottles the wine-dressers of Aï and Epernay block carriage-wheels without their showing the slightest fracture. This one could, therefore, easily bear the hardships of a long voyage.
“A bottle of the Maison Cliquot,” said the major quietly; and, as if he ought to know, his affirmation was accepted without contradiction.
“My dear major,” said Lady Helena, “it matters little what this bottle is, provided we know whence it comes.”
“We shall know, my dear,” said Lord Edward, “and already we can affirm that it has come from a distance. See the petrified particles that cover it, these substances mineralized, so to speak, under the action of the seawater. This waif had already taken a long voyage in the ocean, before being engulfed in the stomach of a shark.”
“I cannot but be of your opinion,” replied the major; “this fragile vase, protected by its strong envelope, must have made a long journey.”
“But whence does it come?” inquired Lady Glenarvan.
“Wait, my dear Helena, wait. We must be patient with bottles. If
