Пятнадцатилетний капитан / Dick Sand. A Captain at Fifteen. Уровень 2

”

“Of course it is,” said Howick, the boatswain; “but who knows a talking dog?”

Thus Dingo became a hero. On several occasions Captain Hull repeated the experiment with the blocks, invariably with the same result; the dog never failed.

But Cousin Benedict took no interest in that.

“You cannot suppose,” he said to Captain Hull, after various repetitions of the trick, “that dogs are the only animals endowed with intelligence. Rats, you know, always leave a sinking ship, and beavers invariably raise their dams before the approach of a flood.

And insects! Are not the structures of ants the very models for the architects of a city? And cannot fleas go through a drill and fire a gun as well as the artillerymen? This Dingo is not very interesting. Perhaps one day or other it may be identified as the �canis alphabeticus[16 - canis alphabeticus – собака-грамотей]’ of New Zealand.”

Anyway, Dingo was regarded as a phenomenon. This feeling was not shared by Negoro.

He studiously avoided the animal, and Dick Sand was quite convinced that the cook’s hatred of the dog became still more intense.

This portion of the Pacific is almost always deserted. It is out of the line of the American and Australian steamers.

Sometimes white petrels congregated near the schooner; and sometimes petrels with brown borders on their wings came in sight.

On the day the wind shifted, Mrs. Weldon was walking up and down on the “Pilgrim’s” stern, when her attention was attracted by a strange phenomenon.

Both Dick and Jack were standing close behind her, and she cried, -

“Look, Dick, look! The sea is all red. Is a seaweed making the water so strange?”

“No,” answered Dick, “it is not a weed; it is what the sailors call whales’ food. These are innumerable myriads of minute crustacea.”

“Crustacea,” replied Mrs. Weldon, “but they must be so small that they are mere insects. Cousin Benedict no doubt will like to see them.

”

She called aloud, -

“Benedict! Benedict! Come here! We have here something interesting for you.”

The amateur naturalist slowly emerged from his cabin followed by Captain Hull.

“Ah! Yes, I see!” said the captain; “whales’ food; just the opportunity for you, Mr. Benedict, to study one of the most curious of the crustacea.”

“Nonsense!” ejaculated Benedict contemptuously; “utter nonsense!”

“Why? What do you mean, Mr.