Chapter 35: Capturing a Myth Part 3

"Come on, you lucky guy, it's our turn." Henrichs punched his arm lightly. Pentam blushed and climbed into the boat. Henrichs winked at Cal and climbed after him. Dr. Franklyn handed in the box with the sea gull then boarded the boat.
The team members who weren't in the boats lined the railing. Sir Shillingsworth had his spyglass to his eye, so Cal stood at the rail with the others and peered.
"Heh, Missy." Monky came up beside her. "Heard ye'was hunting sea serpents."
"That's what the crew's calling them." Cal didn't take her eyes off the boats.
"This young man of yours, is he a good'un?"
"One of the best."
"No less than you deserve, Missy." Monky slid something into her hand. "Happens I won a spyglass in a card game. Don't have much use fer it in the engine room. And if my beau was out after sea serpents, I'd want t'see clear. Draw me a pict're when th're done." He vanished as quickly as he'd come.
Cal extended the glass and watched through it.
The boats neared the weed, heading to where the birds flocked today. A different location than the days before. To find fresh prey, or to stay ahead of the serpents? Closer to the feeding birds they passed the net between the boats and unrolled it carefully. Ropes on each side ran over to the opposite boat. They kept rowing closer to the flock, and stopped when the birds started to look nervous.
Then the waiting started. Gradually during the course of the morning, the flock shifted closer to the boats. The people in the boats might have been statues.
"That should do it." Sir Shillingsworth muttered.
As if they'd heard him, Dr. Franklyn reached into the box and pulled out the gull. It flapped wildly sending feathers everywhere. He tossed it into the net. A weight on its leg kept it from escaping.
Wings flapped at the water, then slowed as the bird exhausted itself. Cal had about given up on getting a reaction, when the water beneath the bait heaved up. A head with pointed jaws pushed through the net to clamp down on the gull. The men in the boats hauled on the ropes, hoping to flip the net and catch their prey before it could escape.
The creature thrashed in the water, almost pulling the ropes free. The boats rocked and Dr. Franklyn came close to falling overboard. Then the serpent rolled toward Pentam's boat snapping at the ropes. Cal's heart skipped a beat as she imagined the thing in the boat biting and slashing at Pentam.
Henrich's harpoon flashed, striking the serpent behind the head. It stiffened then went limp. They might have lost it still, but for the rope on the harpoon.
They dragged the net to the larger boat, and with the help of the harpoon pulled the beast into the craft. Cal estimated it at ten feet in length by the time it lay in the bottom. They rowed back to the cheers of the men at the rail.
Cal collapsed the spyglass and drew the approach of the triumphant hunters.
The boats were winched up, and the gear unloaded. Last they lifted the sea serpent onto the deck. Pentam strode over to Cal and gave her a strong kiss. The people around cheered. Cal blushed, then grabbed his hair to kiss him harder.
***
The rest of the morning, Pentam recorded the serpent in detail with his camera, while Cal watched with a smile on her lips, letting her fingers dance across the pages drawing him and the fascinated crew and scientists. When Prof. Orthin and Lahdin dragged it to the lab for dissection, Pentam followed with his camera, and Cal with her sketchbook.
This was the reason for the long table. Even so the tail hung off the end. It looked like nothing Cal had ever seen, and she'd been recording her father's finds for years. Dan and Matt held the thing still while Prof. Orthin cut into it.
The creature stank worse than any fish. Its stench made Cal's eyes burn. Dr. Franklyn opened a cupboard while the professor gagged and coughed. She left, while the doctor passed out masks and goggles to the four men working on the dissection. He followed out her out onto the deck.
Professor Orthin made a report at supper. "It isn't a snake, and it isn't a fish. The thing has rudimentary legs which work as fins, and lungs to breathe air. The skin is leathery like a crocodile."
"We've agreed on a name, though we don't have a proper taxonomy yet." Lahdin grinned as if that were a great joke. "The scientific name for the beast is serpens marinus calliope.
Cal's face burned as the others cheered.
"You were the first to spot it." The Professor pointed to her. "The honour is yours."
"I'm not sure how to thank you for naming something with such a large mouth and so many teeth after me." Cal took a large bite from the bun in her hand and mess cheered again.
"Congratulations." Sir Shillingsworth joined her on the deck to watch the sun go down. "I believe it was my third or fourth expedition before something was named after me. A rather unique mouse, more ears than body."
Cal leaned against him.
"Thanks for the advice, Father."
"Advice?"
"Stay the course. I almost gave up after Sam died. Then I wondered what you would have done if it had been me. I'd want you to keep going. So I got out of bed and...." She waved her hand. "I have a man who I think I love, a great ugly serpent with my name. What more could a woman want?"
Sir Shillingsworth laughed and kissed the top of Cal's head.
"We all take risks; every time we climb out of bed we head into danger. Out here it's a little closer." He patted her hand on the rail. "I'll leave you now so your man can spend some time with you."