The Duncan was newly built, and had been making a trial trip. It was returning to Glasgow[5], when the sailor on watch caught sight of an enormous fish sporting in the wake of the ship. Lord Edward, who was immediately apprised of the fact, came up a few minutes after with his cousin, and asked John Mangles[6], the captain, what sort of an animal he thought it was.
“Well, since your Lordship asks my opinion,” said Mangles, “I think it is a shark, and a large one.”
“A shark at these shores!”
“There is nothing at all improbable in that,” returned the captain. “This fish belongs to a species that is found in all latitudes and in all seas. It is the hammer-headed shark[7], if I am not much mistaken. But if your Lordship has no objections, we’ll soon haul up the monster and find out what it really is.”
“What do you say, McNabbs? Shall we try to catch it?” asked Lord Glenarvan.
“If you like,” was his cousin’s cool reply.
“The more of those terrible creatures that are killed the better, at all events[8],” said John Mangles.
“Very well, set to work, then[9],” said Glenarvan.
Lady Helena soon joined her husband on deck. The sea was splendid, and every movement of the shark was distinctly visible. In obedience to the captain’s orders, the sailors threw a strong rope over the starboard side of the yacht, with a big hook at the end of it. The bait took at once, though the shark was full fifty yards distant. This was evidently a monster.
The passengers and sailors on the yacht were watching all the animal’s movements with the liveliest interest. It soon came within reach of the bait, turned over on its back. In a few minutes more the shark was thrown on the deck. A man came forward immediately, and approaching it cautiously, with one powerful stroke cut off its tail.
The sailors knew the contents of its stomach might be worth investigation. The fish was still breathing; it measured ten feet[10] in length, and weighed more than six hundred pounds[11].
The huge brute was soon ripped up in a very unceremonious fashion[12]. The hook had fixed right in the stomach, which was found to be absolutely empty, and the disappointed sailors were just going to throw the remains overboard, when the boatswain’s attention was attracted by some large object.
“What’s this?” he exclaimed.
“It’s just a rock that the shark has got in his inside and couldn’t digest,” said another of the crew.
“Hold your tongues, all of you!” said Tom Austin[13], the mate[14] of the Duncan. “Don’t you see the animal is a drunkard and has not only drunk the wine, but swallowed the bottle?”
“What!” said Lord Glenarvan. “Do you mean to say it is a bottle that the shark has got in his stomach?”
“Ay, it is a bottle, most certainly,” replied the boatswain, “but not just from the cellar.”
“Bring it to the cabin,” said Lord Glenarvan, “for bottles found in the sea often contain precious documents.”
Tom obeyed, and in a few minutes brought in the bottle and laid it on the table, at which Lord Glenarvan and the Major were sitting ready with the captain, and, of course, Lady Helena. For a moment they all sat silent, gazing at this frail relic, wondering if it told the tale of sad disaster, or brought some message from a sailor.
However, the only way to know was to examine the bottle, and Glenarvan set to work without further delay, carefully and minutely. He commenced by a close inspection of the outside. The neck was long and slender, the sides were very thick, and strong enough to bear great pressure.
“We may affirm it comes from a long way off. Look at those petrifactions all over it, these different substances almost turned to mineral, we might say, through the action of the salt water! This waif had been tossing about in the ocean a long time before the shark swallowed it.”
“I quite agree with you,” said McNabbs. “I dare say this bottle has made a long voyage.”
“But I want to know where from?” said Lady Glenarvan.
“Wait a little, dear Helena, wait; but if I am not much mistaken, this one will answer all our questions,” replied her husband, beginning to scrape away the hard substances round the neck. Soon the cork made its appearance, but much damaged by the water.
“That’s vexing,” said Lord Edward, “for if papers are inside, they’ll be in a pretty state!”
“If your Lordship would simply break off the neck, I think we might easily withdraw the papers,” suggested John Mangles.
“Try it, Edward, try it,” said Lady Helena.
The bottle was broken. There were pieces of paper inside.
Chapter II. The Three Documents
All that could be discovered, however, on these pieces of paper was a few words here and there, the remainder of the lines. Lord Glenarvan examined them attentively for a few minutes, turning them over on all sides, holding them up to the light, and trying to decipher, while the others looked on with anxious eyes. At last he said: “There are three distinct documents here, apparently copies of the same document in three different languages. Here is one in English, one in French, and one in German.”
“But can you make any sense out of them?” asked Lady Helena.
“That’s hard to say, my dear Helena, the words are quite incomplete.”
“Perhaps the one may supplement the other,” suggested Major McNabbs.
“Very likely they will,” said the captain.
“That’s what we will do,” rejoined Lord Glenarvan; “but let us proceed methodically. Here is the English document first.”
All that remained of it was the following:
“There’s not much to be made out of that,” said the Major, looking disappointed.
“No, but it is good English anyhow,” returned the captain.
“There’s no doubt of it,” said Glenarvan. “The words SINK, ALAND, LOST are entire; SKIPP is evidently part of the word SKIPPER, and that’s what they call ship captains often in England. There seems a Mr. Gr. mentioned, and that most likely is the captain of the shipwrecked vessel.”
“Well, come, we have made out a good deal already,” said Lady Helena.
“Yes, but unfortunately there are whole lines wanting[15],” said the Major, “and we have neither the name of the ship nor the place where it was shipwrecked.”
“We’ll get that by and by[16],” said Edward.
“Oh, yes; there is no doubt of it,” replied the Major, who always echoed his neighbor’s opinion. “But how?”
“By comparing