Chapter 29: The Gyre Part 3
"Good." Sir Shillingsworth walked into the lab. "I was hoping you'd get started."
"I'm sorry, Sir. I should have been on it long before."
"Pentam, I threw you into waters well out of your depth. Whatever you do will be more than we have now. Do what you can do, and do it well, and you'll be fine."
Working in the lab helped Pentam stop worrying about Cal and her stubborn determination to put herself at risk. There wasn't room in his head for chemistry and that infuriating girl.
***
Through the day, the scientists took samples from the mat, capturing a plethora of tiny creatures with the seaweed. Cal remembered the lens Pentam had given her and used it to see detail on the smaller animals. Using it twisted her heart strangely, but she put the feeling aside and focused on work. She had no time to waste trying to understand Pentam.
As the sun lowered toward the horizon, Prof Orthin announced he wanted to check the depth of the seaweed. Sam volunteered to row the boat. Cal couldn't sketch in the dim light, and besides was the only one not busy since Matt had disappeared into the lab.
They launched the boat and Sam rowed steadily toward the mat of seaweed. Prof Orthin pulled out a rope with knots at regular intervals. He had a tube with glass at one end he used to look under water.
They rowed to within a dozen feet of the mat.
"This will do." Prof Orthin pulled a glass ball from his bag and shook it hard. It started glowing brightly in his hands. "A friend of mine developed it for me, developed the reaction from studying algae and fungi." He tied the rope to the loop at the top of the ball.
Cal peered over the side, but the water swallowed all light.
"I needed to wait for evening when the sunlight wouldn't interfere with the light from the ball." He put the ball in the water then handed the rope to Sam. "Lower the ball slowly. Count out as each knot enters the water."
"Like sounding for depth," Sam said.
"Exactly so." The Professor put his tube in the water. "Please start." He peered down into the depths of the ocean.
"One...two...three...."
The numbers grew slowly and steadily. Cal pulled out her sketchbook, and as much by touch as sight sketched the scene of Sam lowering the ball, leaning over the water, with Prof. Orthin also leaning over looking through his tube. The Peregrine in the background had her running lights on, and figures lined the rail watching them.
They pulled up the ball, moved over a hundred yards and sent the ball down again. The next time Sam pulled up the ball he handed Cal his knife.
"Some cheese in the bag, cut a few slices for us."
When she'd finished, Sam was leaning over counting knots, so she folded the knife and put it under the seat.
"Hold up." Prof. Orthin sat up and stretched. He motioned to Cal. "Want to have a look?"
She put down her sketchbook to switch places with Prof. Orthin. Far down in the depths, the ball shone as a pinprick of light. By the faint glow she could see the where the weed stopped. Cal lifted her eye.
"How deep is the ball?"
"Sixty feet, much further than I expected."
Cal returned to the tube.
"The light is gone."
"Strange." Prof. Orthin switched back to his seat and peered down. "The chemical reaction should have lasted longer. Perhaps the pressure or the cold has affected it." He waved at Sam. "You may as well pull it up."
Sam began pulling the rope, letting it coil on the bottom of the boat.
"It's stuck." Perhaps it's caught on a bit of seaweed, give it a good tug."
Sam stood and gave a great heave on the rope, it came up a little, then something yanked it
out of his hands. He staggered back as the rope roared over the gunwale of the boat, tilting it toward the water. The rope tangled around his foot which had landed on it when he stumbled.
"My knife!" Sam scrabbled at the rope. Cal dove for the knife and came up with it in her hand, flipping it open as she stretched to hand it to Sam.
The rope around his leg snapped taut and dragged him overboard. He grabbed at the gunwale tilting the boat more. Cal lost her balance and fell to the bottom of the boat. Her head hit something, making the world spin. The boat rocked violently again. She reached for the end of the rope, but it flipped over the side and vanished. Her head hurt. Prof. Orthin took the knife from her, folded it and put it on the seat. Then he helped Cal to sit up.
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