SOMEHOW THE long cold night passed. When morning came, and Mr. Lobster saw that all was the same as the day before and the water colder than ever, he began to despair. He again thought of the dangers of starving and freezing if it should be true that he was not really asleep.
“I suppose I must be patient,” he thought. “It always takes time to learn new things.”
So he still lay without moving. And he wondered just how much colder the water would feel in his dreams, and how hungry he could dream he was, and how very real and unpleasant dreams could be.
While he was going over these things in his mind he saw a familiar face looking over his wall and peering into his home. There was the sculpin.
“Good morning,” said the sculpin. “So you are still here, although a codfish told me yesterday that all the lobsters had moved into deep water for the winter. Do you mind telling me just why you are hiding?”
Somehow the tone of the sculpin’s voice and the superior look on his ugly face just at the moment when Mr. Lobster was suffering from cold and hunger made Mr. Lobster angry, and he answered before he remembered that he was asleep.
“I am not hiding!” he exclaimed. “I am hibernating!”
“What nonsense!” replied the sculpin scornfully. “Do you take me for a complete fool? If you are hibernating, you are asleep. You said so yourself. And if you are asleep, how can you talk? Pooh! I thought that this hibernating business was all a lie. Now I know it!” And with several bubbles of superiority and disgust the sculpin turned and swam away.
Mr. Lobster was left feeling completely miserable.
“I am not asleep at all,” he said to himself. “The sculpin is right. And I am not hibernating either. All I am doing is starving and freezing. I have made a terribly serious mistake, for I should have been in deep water days ago.”
He slowly uncurled his tail and moved his legs and began to crawl out of the sand.
“This is a great disappointment,” he went on, “but the only thing to do when you have a disappointment is to think about something else. I shall think about having breakfast right away. I am two days late for it already.”
So he left the home he loved and started to look for dabs and flounders. He did not go north toward the mouth of the river, nor west toward the shore. He did not go south toward Cape Cod, which was also shore. Very bravely, and without looking back, he started for deep water, which was east, toward the middle of the ocean. He knew that this time he was leaving his home for a long time.
He was sad as he crawled along the bottom of the ocean, even though he tried to think only of his breakfast and of the next spring when he could return to his home and go ashore and see his friends. Even after he had met several pleasant creatures, and the hollow feeling under his shell was gone, he still kept thinking of his home and his serious mistake.
“The water is now so cold I may not be able to get away,” he said to himself. “I am probably in danger. And I have certainly had a complete failure. . . . Well, I must not think of the past, and my failure is already in the past. A wise person does not think of the past except to remember pleasant things. Now what shall I remember?” Then he began to think of happy things like the picnic he had had with Mr. Badger and Mr. Bear, and how Mr. Badger had called him a hero. Soon he forgot to be unhappy, and was crawling along at a very good speed.
It was difficult for Mr. Lobster to be unhappy very long, anyway, not only because of his wisdom, but because he was so curious as he traveled that he was careful to see everything he passed; and that kept him always interested. And when you’re interested, you are happy.
He passed beautiful gardens of seaweed, big boulders and caves, and two old wrecks of boats that had sunk many years ago. There were starfish and crabs and huge sea snails moving about. There were many fish, too, some of them so big that when he saw them he kept very still until they had passed by, but most of them friendly cod and haddock who were glad to stop and pass the time of day with him and wish him a pleasant winter.
Although he knew that the water was bitter cold and that he must keep moving as fast as possible, he did not allow himself to worry or to be afraid.
“I am doing the best I can to correct my mistake,” he said to himself. “After all, this is really a very fine ocean that I live in.”
At night, cold and tired, but satisfied that he had traveled a long distance, he rested under a large boulder covered with periwinkles and barnacles. In the morning he started out again very early, still going into deeper and deeper water. All the time he was getting further and further away from the daylight, and he knew that in another day or two he would be down deep where it would be dark and warm. There he would spend the winter.
The second afternoon the going was harder than the day before, because the bottom of the ocean was hilly, and he found that he was getting tired from his steady crawling. So, although he knew that he ought not to rest very long, he stopped beside a large area of seaweed and just lay there looking around.
He had been there only a short time when a huge round form came drifting down through the water, waving its flippers in lazy fashion until it rested on the bottom. At first Mr. Lobster was fearful because of the size of the creature, but when it came near him he saw that it was an enormous sea turtle, and he knew that turtles were usually friendly.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
“Yes, yes, indeed,” agreed the turtle. “You are Mr. Lobster, I believe. I’ve seen a good many of your relatives, but you are the biggest I’ve seen yet. Very fitting, indeed. Very fitting that we should meet.”
“Thank you,” said Mr. Lobster. “And you are the biggest turtle I have ever seen.”
“Only the simple truth, the simple truth,” murmured the turtle. “I love to have people speak to me frankly, and of course I am well aware of my size. You don’t see many like me, they all say. But I don’t let that go to my head, and I don’t boast about it. In fact, when people flatter me I just pull my head and flippers in and refuse to have anything to do with them. Nothing like being a turtle; you can always go away without moving. Yes, it’s a lovely afternoon. I’ve just been floating around for a while on top of the water. I’m going south, you see; always go south for the winter; and I’m just browsing about a bit before I go. Never do anything in a hurry, I say. What do you say?”
“Oh, I agree,” said Mr. Lobster. “That is, unless there is danger.”
“Danger, did you say?” asked the turtle. He waved one flipper in a negligent fashion, then scratched his neck for a moment, and went on. “I don’t know the meaning of the word. Are you out for a little crawl, Mr. Lobster, or are you exploring?”
“I am going into deep water for the winter.”
“I see. I see. Pity you lobsters don’t go south. Personally, I’m spending the winter at Bermuda this year. Nothing like an island, I say. An island or exploring—they’re practically the same thing, of course. That’s why I thought you might be out exploring this afternoon. Good afternoon for exploring.”
Mr. Lobster was somewhat confused, not only by what the turtle was saying, but because the turtle talked so fast.
“I am afraid I don’t understand,” he said. “Did you say an island and exploring were the same thing?”
“Oh, yes, yes, indeed. Practically speaking. That is, they accomplish the same thing, you know.”
The turtle was so good-natured and easy-going, and not in the least bit superior in manner, that it was impossible to be angry with him, even if he did speak as though he thought he knew everything.
“Perhaps,” said Mr. Lobster, “I am exploring, as I am looking for a new home for the winter.”
“Not what I meant at all, not at all!” exclaimed the turtle. “Exploring isn’t looking for things half so much as it is an excuse for getting away from things. Explorers are always looking for places where there aren’t any other people. Just like an island. When you find an island, no one can bother you. What kind of a place do you want for a home?”
“Well, I think a kind of cave under a rock,” answered Mr. Lobster. “I have just had that kind of a home, and I was very happy there. I should be traveling now, but I stopped to rest because I was tired.”
“Easy, very easy.” The turtle was lazily scratching himself again. “Don’t you worry a bit about it. I know some excellent places not very far from here. Wouldn’t take us more than a day or two at the most. Besides, I’m in no hurry. There’s no sense in hurrying, no sense at all. So you just go ahead and rest all you want; and we’ll start in the morning. Nothing like a good rest when you feel the need of it. I often rest for days at a time. Keeps me from feeling my age. I’m two hundred and twenty now, and you’d never know I was more than a hundred. Well, I’ll take a nap myself now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
With those words the talkative turtle pulled in his head until it was out of sight, tucked in his flippers, and looked just like an old shell with nobody at home in it.
Mr. Lobster was a bit out of breath just from listening; he had never before met a creature who talked so much. Also, he was tired from his long crawl. So he took the turtle’s advice and spent a quiet night right where he was, although he dreamed that the turtle was talking very fast and that he couldn’t understand a word that was being said.
In the morning he ventured along the borders of the seaweed to look for breakfast. When he returned, the turtle had put his head out and was looking around.
“Good morning, good morning,” he said by way of greeting. “Thought you must have gotten lost. Looked all around and didn’t see a sign of you.”
“I’ve been getting breakfast,” explained Mr. Lobster.
“Good idea. Very good idea. Personally, I don’t bother about breakfast. I often go for weeks at a time without eating. Personally, I’m tired of it. Been eating the same things for over two hundred years, you see. Are you ready to travel? Call it exploring for you if you want to; won’t be for me, of course, because I’ve been there before. I’ll show you around this part of the ocean.”
“I am all ready to go,” said Mr. Lobster, “but I am afraid I shan’t be able to go as fast as you can.”
“Oh, I’ve thought of that. There never was a lobster who could travel as fast as I can—if you don’t mind my saying so. But what’s the use of hurrying, as I may have said before. Hurrying is all right if you do it just for fun, but it’s terrible if you have to. Hard on the nerves. You wouldn’t think I had any nerves, to look at me, but I’m positive I have; so I’ve always been careful not to arouse them.” The talkative turtle reached out one flipper, then another. “I feel fine,” he said. “Now you just climb up on my back, and hook your claws onto the edge of my shell. Hang on as hard as you want to—you can’t hurt my shell. Jump on!”
Mr. Lobster obeyed at once. He had never ridden on a turtle’s back, and he was curious to see what it would be like.
“Are you ready?” asked the turtle.
“All ready,” answered Mr. Lobster.
“Here we go, then. First I’m going up to the surface of the water, if you don’t mind. Take a look at the weather, you know, and get some fresh air.”
And with that the turtle’s great flippers began to move, his neck stuck out straight, and he went up through the water so fast and so straight that he was nearly on end. If Mr. Lobster hadn’t been holding on tightly he would have fallen off backwards. At the surface of the ocean the weather was cold, but the sky was blue and the sun shining brightly. While Mr. Lobster just looked around, the turtle took several deep breaths.
“Beautiful day, beautiful day,” he said. “I do delight in fine weather. Hang on now, and we’ll start for your cave.”
He went down faster than he had come up, and when he was near the bottom he pointed his head toward the east and began swimming along so fast that Mr. Lobster’s feelers were blown out behind him, and the water rushed past him as though he were flying through it. It was all a strange experience for Mr. Lobster, who, for all his great age and wisdom, was what you would call a rather slow traveler.
THE TURTLE SWAM SO FAST THAT MR. LOBSTER’S FEELERS WERE BLOWN OUT BEHIND HIM.
Whenever they came to a great rock or a hill the turtle pointed his head up and they sailed up over without the slightest effort. Mr. Lobster realized that such obstacles would have delayed him seriously if he had been crawling along the bottom in his usual fashion. For some time after they started he was so busy hanging on to the edge of the turtle’s shell that he scarcely had a chance to look around, but as soon as he got used to the speed he began to enjoy the experience tremendously.
“It is just the way the birds sail through the air,” he said to himself, remembering how he had watched the sea gulls when he had been ashore. “I suppose that I am the first lobster ever to travel this way. It seems to me there is always something new to learn, and I do hope I never get too old to enjoy new things.”
The turtle, without slowing up in the least, turned his neck around so that he was facing Mr. Lobster and said, “Easy, isn’t it? Just hang on and go where you want to without any trouble. Nothing like it, I say. Nothing like it.”
“I thought you said you didn’t believe in hurrying,” remarked Mr. Lobster.
“Hurrying? Who said I was hurrying? This is just the way I go when I am wandering about. What I call cruising speed, you know. You lobsters don’t know anything about speed, if you don’t mind my saying so. Would you like to have me hurry?”
“No, thank you. I’m afraid I would not have any breath left if you went any faster,” said Mr. Lobster quickly.
“Just a little dash of speed?” asked the turtle.
“Oh, no, thank you!”
“Well, if you insist. But some time I would like to show you some real speed. Just for fun, you know. I wouldn’t think of hurrying except for fun. Have to think of my nerves, you know. Never know when they’ll kick up if you’re not careful.”
So they went on and on at the same speed until late in the afternoon, when the turtle slowed up considerably and began to look around as though he had entered a region he had known before.
Soon he called out to Mr. Lobster.
“I know where we are now,” he said, “and we are coming to a fine cave.” He went up over a tremendous rock, then down to the bottom on the other side and stopped. “Have a look around,” he said. “If you don’t like this one I’ll show you some others. No hurry, you know. No hurry at all. We’ll wander about for another day or two if you’d like to, and I’ll show you all the caves in the neighborhood.”
Mr. Lobster straightened out his feelers in front of him for the first time since he had started his ride. Then he crawled down from the turtle’s back and looked around him. Sure enough, there was a small cave under the big rock they had just come over. He crawled to the entrance, explored it with his feelers very carefully, then turned around and backed in. He always preferred to back into a strange cave. Then, if there wasn’t room enough to turn around after he got in, he could still crawl out easily and see what he was doing. The dangerous thing was to have to come out of a cave backwards, because he never knew what kind of fish might be waiting around a cave entrance.
When he found himself inside this cave he was pleased to see that it had a smooth, sandy floor and just enough room for him to turn around in comfortably. And there were rock walls on all sides, which made it seem safe. He decided at once that he could be nearly as happy here as he had been in his other home near shore. So he went out to the turtle again and told him that the cave was all right.
“That’s fine, that’s fine,” said the talkative creature. “Though I did sort of hope we could wander about a bit more. I find I like your company, if you don’t mind my saying so. But if you’re satisfied, I might just as well start for Bermuda. The weather looked cold, and I guess there’s no use hanging around in these parts any longer.”
“I am very grateful to you,” said Mr. Lobster with his customary courtesy. “You have been very kind to me, and you have done me a great service.”
“Glad you feel that way, of course,” said the turtle, “but don’t let it worry you. Pleasure for me to meet you, you know. I’ve enjoyed the little trip myself. And any time you’re out exploring or happen to be around an island, look for me and maybe we’ll meet again. Don’t forget—there’s nothing like exploring and islands!”
With that last bit of advice he started off. Soon he was out of sight, and Mr. Lobster realized that he was alone again, that not even the sculpin could bother him here, and that his winter in deep water had really begun.
After being with such a friendly creature as the talkative turtle Mr. Lobster felt somewhat lonely, although he had been accustomed to living alone for years and years. He knew that the winter would seem very quiet and un-exciting after his summer with Mr. Badger and Mr. Bear.
“Oh, well,” he said to himself, “a fact is a fact, and no getting around it. So there’s nothing to do but settle down and wait for spring.”
And that is just what he did.