"Sarah Zettel - Miss Underwood and the Mermaid" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zettel Sarah)

such projectiles. You will only succeed in angering it."

As if in answer, the creature shook the sky with a fresh bellow and dove straight down.
Something smashed against the hull, knocking us all ahoo and causing every hand to clap hold of ropes
and rails. The crew's unnatural calm vanished. It takes more than a spell of bemusement to remove the
fear of hull breach from a sailor.

Miss Underwood, of course, did not move an inch.

"Can you suggest a remedy, Miss Underwood?" I gasped, pulling myself upright.

Her blue eyes were thoughtful, but without light. "Have you anything you believe exceedingly
hard I might throw, Captain?"

One third of my mind considered the phrasing of the question and the nature of the person in
front of me. This was neither the third that was gibbering in terror, nor the third reminding it that captains
did not gibber on deck. "Miss Sherman!" I barked. "Tell Miss Barton to jump down to the galley and
have Cook roust out some of the month-old biscuit. Handsomely now!"

I turned my attention to ordering the hands to take up the canvas, to mind the wheel. The
serpent erupted from the water. Its great, fanlike fins battered at the waves, rocking Nancy's Pride and
almost swamping us. The thing opened its mouth in a grin I took to be idiot glee and reared back, ready
to strike.

Miss Barton arrived and saluted. She handed me a rock-hard ship's biscuit which I handed to
Miss Underwood, who thanked me. Like any sailor, I would happily show the chips in my teeth from
such objects, and I firmly believed nothing could be harder.

Miss Underwood's eyes glowed intensely blue. she drew her arm back and hurled the biscuit at
the sea serpent's head. It smacked the creature right between its eyes.

The serpent bellowed in gargantuan pain. Cheers arose from the crew. The monster slipped
slowly beneath the waves.

"All sail!" I shouted. "All sail, now!"

Still laughing and cheering, the crew obeyed. Nancy's Pride leaned against the wind and sped
forward.

I turned to my passenger. "Miss Underwood, a word with you, if you please."

Once in the great cabin, I turned to face her. I had to keep myself from clutching the nail in my
pocket.

"Miss Underwood, were you aware we would meet this . . . creature?"

"I suspected something of the kind might happen, yes," she said coolly. "I thought perhaps
Scylla and Charybdis, but I was mistaken."

"Can we expect any similar troubles?"