David and the Phoenix Page 6

  6: _In Which the Phoenix Has a Plan, and David and the Phoenix Call Ona Sea Monster_

  "Well, you're in all the papers this morning, Phoenix," said David, ashe sat down beside the reclining bird next morning. "They don't knowwho you are, but they're all talking about what happened last night.They call you the 'Whispering Burglar.' The police are prettyworried."

  "My dear chap," said the Phoenix apologetically, "let me repeat mysincere regrets for causing alarm. It was not my desire to--the_police_, did you say? Have they discovered any clues?"

  "No," said David reassuringly. "They can't find a thing. They thinkthe Whispering Burglar climbed up a ladder to say _pssssst!_ into theupstairs windows. Only they can't find the ladder. They call it the'Missing Mystery Clue.'"

  The Phoenix gazed at the sky and mused. "In all the papers, you say?Well, Fame at last--although hardly the kind I had expected. What apity that there can be no photographs with the story. Imagine apicture of me on the front page! A profile, perhaps--or would afull-length shot be more effective? Or both, let us say, with--"

  "I know you'd look very handsome, Phoenix," David interrupted, "butwhat we _should_ be thinking about is the Scientist. What are we goingto do?"

  "Oh, _that_," said the Phoenix. "I was coming to that, my boy. Thebattle is already half won. I have a Plan."

  "Good for you, Phoenix! What is it?"

  "Aha!" said the Phoenix, with a mysterious smile. "All will unfold intime. Rest assured that the Plan is brilliant. In one stroke of geniusit solves everything. Tactics, my boy! Napoleon had nothing on me."

  "But what _is_ it, Phoenix?"

  "Tut, my boy," said the Phoenix in a maddening way. "Control yourimpatience. You will see. Now, we shall have to buy some things, so weshall need money. Let me see.... Several of the Leprechauns have largepots of gold.... No, I fear they would not part with so much as apenny. Tightfisted, my dear fellow!--you never saw such misers.Hmmm.... Well, there are the Dragons, of course; they guard heaps oftreasure in caves. But no--they are excellent chaps in most respects,but frightfully stuffy about loans and gifts. No.... The Djinn? No,his money is all tied up in Arabian oil speculation. Aha! Why didn't Ithink of that before? The Sea Monster, of course!"

  "Do Sea Monsters have money?" asked David.

  "No, but the Sea Monster should know where pirate treasure isburied--quite in its nautical line. We shall visit the Monster, myboy. Tomorrow, of course--I could not fly a foot today to save mylife. My muscles are killing me!"

  "Oh, poor Phoenix!" David said. But he was so excited that he couldnot feel much pity. Pirate treasure! They were going to dig for piratetreasure!

  "We shall need a spade. I trust you will arrange for it, my boy?"

  "Of course, Phoenix," said David, jumping to his feet. "I'll geteverything ready right away. Don't move till I get back."

  "Impossible, my boy." The Phoenix groaned as it shifted into a morecomfortable position.

  David raced home to collect the necessary things for the trip.Remembering how cold it had been last time, he took his leather jacketout of the closet, and a pair of gloves and a scarf. For the Phoenixhe borrowed a bottle of liniment and took all the cookies from thecooky jar. And he picked the shortest of three spades in the garage.During the rest of the day he massaged the Phoenix's back and wingswith the liniment. He was exploding with curiosity about the Plan, ofcourse. But the Phoenix would only smile its smuggest smile and tellhim to "wait and see, wait and see"--which almost drove David mad.

  * * * * *

  Tomorrow took its time, the way it always does when you are anxious tosee it arrive, but it finally came. And David found himself with thespade held tightly under one arm, his jacket zipped up to his chin,gloves on, and scarf knotted, all ready to go.

  "To the west, this time," said the Phoenix, as David got up on itsback. "This is the Monster's Pacific season, you know. Ready, my boy?Splendid! We are off!"

  Over the mountains and desert they sped, over the shore, out acrossthe ocean. For a long time they hurtled through a huge blueloneliness, dark blue below, lighter blue above. Once they passed overa ship, a pencil dot trailing a pin-scratch of white. Another timethey startled a high-flying albatross, which gave a frightened squawkand plunged down out of sight with folded wings. Aside from that,there was nothing to see until they reached the islands.

  The Phoenix slowed down to a glide and dropped lower. "These are thecoral atolls of the Pacific, my boy," it called over its shoulder."That lake in the center of each island is called the lagoon."

  David was enchanted by the atolls. They were made of tiny islets,strung together like the beads of a necklace. And the colors! The darkblue of the sea became lighter around the islands, melting fromsapphire to turquoise to jade. The atolls were ringed with dazzlingwhite surf and beach, and they all had cool green swaths of palm treesand underbrush. And each lagoon also had its varying shades of blue,like the outer sea.

  "I fear we may have trouble, my boy," said the Phoenix, as theyscanned the empty beaches. "The Monster shifts about from island toisland to avoid discovery. We shall just have to search."

  And search they did, atoll after atoll, until at the end of an hourthey were rewarded. David suddenly spotted a dark object stretched outon the beach of a lagoon, and at the same time the Phoenix said "Aha!"triumphantly. They began to spiral down.

  The Sea Monster was immense. Its body could have filled the livingroom at home. Its neck was twenty feet long, and so was its tail(which ended in a barbed point). It had huge seal-like flippers, andits polished brown hide was made up of scales as big as dinner plates.

  "Wake up, Monster!" The Phoenix cried. "We--"

  The next instant they were lost in a cloud of flying sand and spray,through which could be heard a prodigious splash. When it had cleared,they found themselves alone on the beach. The only sign of the SeaMonster was a great furrow in the sand, which led down to the agitatedwater.

  "Golly, that was fast!" David marveled, as they shook the sand fromthemselves. "Do you think it'll come back, Phoenix?"

  "Of course, my boy. Curiosity, if nothing else, will bring it upagain. In the meantime, we might as well sit down and wait."

  They sat down and waited. David took off his jacket. For fifteenminutes they heard nothing but the murmuring of the surf and therustling clatter of palm fronds. At last there was a slight splashingnoise from the lagoon.

  "There," David whispered, pointing.

  Thirty feet offshore, an ear was being thrust cautiously above therippled surface. It twitched once or twice, then pointed quiveringlyin their direction.

  "Come out, Monster!" the Phoenix shouted. "It is I, the Phoenix."

  The Sea Monster's head appeared slowly, followed by several yards ofneck. It peered at them short-sightedly, weaving its head from side toside to get a better view. David saw that it had two short, straighthorns just in front of its ears, eyes that were soft and cowlike, anda most expressive set of whiskers. The whiskers were now at adoubtful, half-mast angle.

  "Ah, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster at last in a mild voice. "Can'tyou remember to wake me a bit more gently? I thought you were--"

  "Come on out," said the Phoenix firmly, "and stop looking like a lostsheep."

  "Uh--what about--uh--that?" said the Sea Monster hesitantly, pointingone ear at David.

  "This," said the Phoenix, "is David. He is getting an education. Iassure you that he will not bite."

  The Sea Monster swam toward them, heaved itself out of the water, andoffered its huge flipper for David to shake.

  "Sorry I rushed off like that," it said. "The trouble is, I've hadsuch a bad case of war nerves. Why, sometimes I jump out of my skin atnothing at all."

  "Were you in the war?" David asked.

  "Ah, _was_ I," sighed the Sea Monster. It flopped down comfortably onits belly, curled its tail around its front flippers, and sighedagain. But David noticed that its whiskers had perked up to a quitecheerful angle. The Sea Monster was ob
viously delighted to havesomeone listen to its troubles.

  "Yes," it said, heaving a third sigh, "I was. From the very beginning,much against my will. Guns all over the place! Terrible!"

  "Did they shoot you?" David asked, horrified.

  "Well, _at_ me, anyway. I'm thankful to say they never hit me, butthere were some pretty near misses. All the oceans were simply packedwith ships. I couldn't lift my head out of water without bringing downa perfect rain of shells and bullets."

  "The _intelligent_ thing in that case," the Phoenix broke in with asniff, "would have been to stay _under_ water."

  "Thank you, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster dryly. "But I _do_ like tobreathe now and then. Anyway, I wasn't safe even under water. They'ddrop depth charges on me. One ship even launched a torpedo at me!"

  "How awful!" said David.

  "Tut! my boy," said the Phoenix. "I have no doubt our friend isstretching the truth shamelessly. You need not look so smug, Monster.You were not the only one in the war. _I_ have gone throughanti-aircraft fire a number of times. Some of it was very severe. Infact, once I--"

  "Once I had the whole North Atlantic fleet after _me_," the SeaMonster interrupted proudly.

  "And _I_ remember the Franco-Prussian War!" said the Phoenix. "Which,I daresay, you do _not_."

  "Well--uh--no, I don't."

  "There you are!" the Phoenix crowed.

  The Sea Monster, looking rather ruffled, pointedly turned from thePhoenix and said to David, "What should you like to do, David?"

  David suddenly remembered what they had come for, and the excitementrushed back into his heart. He opened his mouth to cry "We want to digfor treasure!" and then stopped short. Asking for money, he knew, wasan impolite thing to do--especially from someone you had only justmet. And there was no telling how the Sea Monster might feel aboutpeople nosing around for its treasure. So he looked at the Phoenix andwaited for it to speak.

  The Phoenix caught David's glance, cleared its throat several times,and looked apologetically at the Sea Monster. "Monster, old chap," itsaid soothingly, "I am deeply sorry for having doubted you just now.Deeply sorry."

  "Quite all right," said the Sea Monster stiffly.

  "Yes," the Phoenix continued, "we both know that you have passedthrough perilous times, through dangers which (I must confess) wouldhave left _me_ a shattered wreck."

  The Sea Monster sighed sadly, but its whiskers were beginning to riseagain.

  "The Monster bears up very well under this fearful strain--don't youthink so, my boy? A splendid example for the rest of us. Magnificent."

  The Sea Monster's whiskers were quivering with pleasure.

  "Monster, old chap, old friend, you were never one to let a booncompanion down. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundredtimes: 'The Sea Monster,' I have said, 'the Sea Monster is the helpfulsort. Mention the words Staunch Friend,' I have said, 'andimmediately the Sea Monster comes to mind.'"

  The Phoenix reached up one wing and began to pat the Sea Monster'sflipper.

  "Monster, old chum, we--ah--we--Well, the plain fact is thatwe--ah--we have need of--such a trifling matter" (here the Phoenixgave a careless laugh) "that I should not really bring it up at all.Ah--we need a bit of money."

  "Oh," said the Sea Monster. Its whiskers sagged.

  "Now, please do not be offended, Monster," said the Phoenix hastily."After all, you have no need for the treasure, and it does absolutelyno good buried under the ground."

  "It doesn't do any harm there, either," said the Sea Monster. "Really,Phoenix, I never thought _you_--"

  "Monster," said the Phoenix solemnly, "_this_--is a matter of life ordeath."

  "Life or death--ha!"

  "Please, Monster," said David. "It really is life or death, becausethe Scientist is chasing the Phoenix, and the Phoenix has a plan toescape him, and we need some money to carry out the plan so theScientist can't hurt the Phoenix."

  "A few small coins will do," added the Phoenix, with a winning smile."A louis d'or, for example, or some pieces of eight. After which youmay bury the rest again."

  "_Please_, Monster!" David begged.

  The Monster looked at David, and at the Phoenix, and then at Davidagain, and then at the lagoon. It sighed a very doubtful sigh.

  "Oh ... all right," it said reluctantly. "But for goodness sake, don'tgo telling anyone where you found it."

  "Of course not," said the Phoenix. And David leaped up and shouted"Hooray!" and grabbed the spade and his jacket.

  "The stuff is on the next island," said the Sea Monster. "I can swimover with you two on my back. This way, please--we have to leave fromthe outer beach."

  The Sea Monster was a magnificent swimmer. Its neck cut through thewater like the stem of a Viking ship, and it left a frothing wakebehind. Every once in a while it would plunge its head into the waterand come up with a fish, which it would swallow whole.

  "Should you like some breakfast, David?" said the Sea Monster.

  "No, thank you," David answered, "but you go right ahead. Phoenix," headded, "what _are_ you doing?"

  The Phoenix, which had been walking up and down with its wings claspedbehind its back, stopped and gazed over the sea. "Pacing thequarter-deck, my boy. Scanning the horizon. That is what one usuallydoes at sea, I believe."

  "You'll be wanting us to call you Admiral next," said the Sea Monsteracidly.

  They steamed on. Twenty minutes and seventy-six large breakfast fishlater they sighted the island--a little smudge on the horizon, deadahead.

  "Land ho!" a voice croaked. "Thank heavens."

  David turned in surprise. The Phoenix was no longer pacing thequarter-deck and scanning the horizon. It was sitting limply with itshead down and a glassy stare in its eyes.

  "You had better hurry up," David said to the Sea Monster. "I think thePhoenix is seasick."

  "Am not," the Phoenix gasped. "Merely (ulp!) temporary."

  The Sea Monster turned and smiled sweetly at the Phoenix. "You'll getused to it in no time, Admiral."

  When they landed, however, the Phoenix recovered rapidly and evenbegan to put on a slight nautical swagger. The Sea Monster humped offdown the beach, followed eagerly by the two treasure hunters. In a fewminutes it came to a halt and sniffed the sand very carefully,swinging its head snakelike to and fro. It settled on one spot,sniffed it thoroughly, felt the sand with its whiskers, and thensolemnly announced: "Here."

  "Ahoy, me hearties!" the Phoenix shouted. "Turn to and stand by tosplice the main brace! Steady as she goes, mates!"

  David needed no encouragement from anyone. He began to dig furiously.Flashing in the sun, the spade bit into the beach, and coarse whitesand spurted in all directions. The Phoenix was quite as excited asDavid. It danced around the deepening hole with eyes asparkle,shouting such piratical terms as "Shiver me timbers!" "Strike yourcolors!" and "Give 'em no quarter, lads!" Suddenly it began to beattime with its wing and to sing in a raucous voice:

  "Cut the King's throat and take the King's gold-- Heave ho, bullies, for Panama! There's plenty of loot for the lad who is bold-- Heave away, bullies, for Panama!"

  "You're flat on that last note," said the Sea Monster.

  "My dear Monster, I have perfect pitch!"

  "Oh, yes--you have perfect sea legs, too."

  "Well, ah--How are you coming along, my boy? Any signs of treasure?"

  David did not hear. In fact he heard nothing from the first crunch ofthe spade onward. His education was now richer by this fact: once youstart out after treasure, you can think of nothing else until it isfound. The sun was beating hotly on him, little rivulets of sweatpoured down his face and arms, his muscles ached, blisters werebeginning to form on his hands. Heedless of all, he dug on. He hadsettled into the rhythm of it now, and nothing could distract him.

  "Tell you what's a good thing for seasickness," said the Sea Monsterslyly. "You take a--" Pretending not to hear, the Phoenix stood firston one leg and then on the other and stared into the sky. David dugtirelessly.


  Suddenly the spade grated on something solid, and they all jumped.David shouted "Here it is!" and shoveled up sand frantically. ThePhoenix danced around the hole, also shouting. Even the Sea Monsterarched its neck to get a better view. They could see a brass ring,crusted with verdigris, fastened to a partly-exposed piece of wood.The sand flew. Now they could see studded strips of metal bound to thewood, and a rusty padlock. And in a few minutes a whole chest, withslanting sides and a curved lid and tarnished brass hinges, wasuncovered. David threw the spade on the beach, seized the brasshandle, and tugged. It came off in his hand.

  "Here, let me," said the Sea Monster. David got out of the hole, andthe Sea Monster worked one flipper carefully under the chest. "Lookout," it said, and heaved its flipper up. The chest shot into the air,tumbled down end over end, and split wide open on the beach.

  David gasped. A dazzling, sparkling heap spilled out on the sand.There were heaps of gold and silver coins, the silver black withtarnish but the gold still bright. There were pearls, rubies,diamonds, beryls, emeralds, opals, sapphires, amethysts. Andbracelets, necklaces, pendants, sunbursts, brooches, rings, pins,combs, buckles, lockets, buttons, crucifixes. And carved pieces ofjade and ivory and coral and jet. And coronets, crowns, tiaras, armbands. And jeweled daggers, picture frames, vases, silver knives andforks and spoons, sugar bowls, platters, goblets.

  For an hour they examined the treasure. David fairly wallowed in it,exclaiming "Look at this one!" or "Oh, how beautiful!" or just"Golly!" The Phoenix muttered such things as "King's ransom" and"Wealth of the Indies." The Sea Monster was not interested in thetreasure, but kept glancing nervously out to sea.

  At last the Phoenix said, "Well, my boy, I think we had better makeour choice. Three or four coins should do it."

  The Sea Monster gave a relieved sigh. "Let's get the rest of itunderground right away. You have no idea what trouble it can cause."

  The choice was difficult. There were so many coins, all of them withqueer writing and heads of unknown gods and kings. David finallypicked out four gold pieces and tied them up in his handkerchief.Then the Sea Monster swept the rest of the treasure into the hole.They all pushed sand in on top of it and jumped on the mound till itwas level with the rest of the beach.

  The Phoenix turned to the Sea Monster and said solemnly: "Monster, oldfellow, I knew you would not fail us. You stood forth in our hour ofneed, and we shall not forget."

  And David echoed, "Thank you, Monster."

  The Sea Monster ducked its head and blushed. A wave of fiery redstarted at its nose, traveled rapidly back over its ears, down itsneck, along the body, and fanned out to the tips of its flippers andthe extreme end of the barb in its tail.

  Even its whiskers turned pink.

  "Well--uh--glad to help--uh--nothing to it, really," it mumbled. Thenit turned abruptly, galloped down to the sea, plunged into the surf,and was gone.