<p class="f1"><SPAN name="In_Which_the_Phoenix_Has_a_Plan_and_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On" id="In_Which_the_Phoenix_Has_a_Plan_and_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On"></SPAN>6: <i>In Which the Phoenix <br/>
Has a Plan, and David<br/>
and the Phoenix <br/>
Call On a Sea Monster</i></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/image_081.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="343" alt="" /></div>
<p>"Well, you're in all the papers this morning, Phoenix," said David, as
he sat down beside the reclining bird next morning. "They don't know
who you are, but they're all talking about what happened last night.
They call you the 'Whispering Burglar.' The police are pretty
worried."</p>
<p>"My dear chap," said the Phoenix apologetically,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_80" id="Page_80"></SPAN></span> "let me repeat my
sincere regrets for causing alarm. It was not my desire to—the
<i>police</i>, did you say? Have they discovered any clues?"</p>
<p>"No," said David reassuringly. "They can't find a thing. They think
the Whispering Burglar climbed up a ladder to say <i>pssssst!</i> into the
upstairs windows. Only they can't find the ladder. They call it the
'Missing Mystery Clue.'"</p>
<p>The Phoenix gazed at the sky and mused. "In all the papers, you say?
Well, Fame at last—although hardly the kind I had expected. What a
pity that there can be no photographs with the story. Imagine a
picture of me on the front page! A profile, perhaps—or would a
full-length shot be more effective? Or both, let us say, with—"</p>
<p>"I know you'd look very handsome, Phoenix," David interrupted, "but
what we <i>should</i> be thinking about is the Scientist. What are we going
to do?"</p>
<p>"Oh, <i>that</i>," said the Phoenix. "I was coming to that, my boy. The
battle is already half won. I have a Plan."</p>
<p>"Good for you, Phoenix! What is it?"</p>
<p>"Aha!" said the Phoenix, with a mysterious smile. "All will unfold in
time. Rest assured that the Plan is brilliant. In one stroke of genius
it solves everything.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_81" id="Page_81"></SPAN></span> Tactics, my boy! Napoleon had nothing on me."</p>
<p>"But what <i>is</i> it, Phoenix?"</p>
<p>"Tut, my boy," said the Phoenix in a maddening way. "Control your
impatience. You will see. Now, we shall have to buy some things, so we
shall need money. Let me see.... Several of the Leprechauns have large
pots of gold.... No, I fear they would not part with so much as a
penny. Tightfisted, my dear fellow!—you never saw such misers.
Hmmm.... Well, there are the Dragons, of course; they guard heaps of
treasure in caves. But no—they are excellent chaps in most respects,
but frightfully stuffy about loans and gifts. No.... The Djinn? No,
his money is all tied up in Arabian oil speculation. Aha! Why didn't I
think of that before? The Sea Monster, of course!"</p>
<p>"Do Sea Monsters have money?" asked David.</p>
<p>"No, but the Sea Monster should know where pirate treasure is
buried—quite in its nautical line. We shall visit the Monster, my
boy. Tomorrow, of course—I could not fly a foot today to save my
life. My muscles are killing me!"</p>
<p>"Oh, poor Phoenix!" David said. But he was so excited that he could
not feel much pity. Pirate treasure! They were going to dig for pirate
treasure!<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_82" id="Page_82"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"We shall need a spade. I trust you will arrange for it, my boy?"</p>
<p>"Of course, Phoenix," said David, jumping to his feet. "I'll get
everything ready right away. Don't move till I get back."</p>
<p>"Impossible, my boy." The Phoenix groaned as it shifted into a more
comfortable position.</p>
<p>David raced home to collect the necessary things for the trip.
Remembering how cold it had been last time, he took his leather jacket
out of the closet, and a pair of gloves and a scarf. For the Phoenix
he borrowed a bottle of liniment and took all the cookies from the
cooky jar. And he picked the shortest of three spades in the garage.
During the rest of the day he massaged the Phoenix's back and wings
with the liniment. He was exploding with curiosity about the Plan, of
course. But the Phoenix would only smile its smuggest smile and tell
him to "wait and see, wait and see"—which almost drove David mad.</p>
<hr style='width: 45%;' />
<p>Tomorrow took its time, the way it always does when you are anxious to
see it arrive, but it finally came. And David found himself with the
spade held tightly under one arm, his jacket zipped up to his chin,
gloves on, and scarf knotted, all ready to go.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_83" id="Page_83"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"To the west, this time," said the Phoenix, as David got up on its
back. "This is the Monster's Pacific season, you know. Ready, my boy?
Splendid! We are off!"</p>
<p>Over the mountains and desert they sped, over the shore, out across
the ocean. For a long time they hurtled through a huge blue
loneliness, dark blue below, lighter blue above. Once they passed over
a ship, a pencil dot trailing a pin-scratch of white. Another time
they startled a high-flying albatross, which gave a frightened squawk
and plunged down out of sight with folded wings. Aside from that,
there was nothing to see until they reached the islands.</p>
<p>The Phoenix slowed down to a glide and dropped lower. "These are the
coral atolls of the Pacific, my boy," it called over its shoulder.
"That lake in the center of each island is called the lagoon."</p>
<p>David was enchanted by the atolls. They were made of tiny islets,
strung together like the beads of a necklace. And the colors! The dark
blue of the sea became lighter around the islands, melting from
sapphire to turquoise to jade. The atolls were ringed with dazzling
white surf and beach, and they all had cool green swaths of palm trees
and underbrush. And each lagoon also had its varying shades of blue,
like the outer sea.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_84" id="Page_84"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"I fear we may have trouble, my boy," said the Phoenix, as they
scanned the empty beaches. "The Monster shifts about from island to
island to avoid discovery. We shall just have to search."</p>
<p>And search they did, atoll after atoll, until at the end of an hour
they were rewarded. David suddenly spotted a dark object stretched out
on the beach of a lagoon, and at the same time the Phoenix said "Aha!"
triumphantly. They began to spiral down.</p>
<p>The Sea Monster was immense. Its body could have filled the living
room at home. Its neck was twenty feet long, and so was its tail
(which ended in a barbed point). It had huge seal-like flippers, and
its polished brown hide was made up of scales as big as dinner plates.</p>
<p>"Wake up, Monster!" The Phoenix cried. "We—"</p>
<p>The next instant they were lost in a cloud of flying sand and spray,
through which could be heard a prodigious splash. When it had cleared,
they found themselves alone on the beach. The only sign of the Sea
Monster was a great furrow in the sand, which led down to the agitated
water.</p>
<p>"Golly, that was fast!" David marveled, as they shook the sand from
themselves. "Do you think it'll come back, Phoenix?"<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_85" id="Page_85"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Of course, my boy. Curiosity, if nothing else, will bring it up
again. In the meantime, we might as well sit down and wait."</p>
<p>They sat down and waited. David took off his jacket. For fifteen
minutes they heard nothing but the murmuring of the surf and the
rustling clatter of palm fronds. At last there was a slight splashing
noise from the lagoon.</p>
<p>"There," David whispered, pointing.</p>
<p>Thirty feet offshore, an ear was being thrust cautiously above the
rippled surface. It twitched once or twice, then pointed quiveringly
in their direction.</p>
<p>"Come out, Monster!" the Phoenix shouted. "It is I, the Phoenix."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster's head appeared slowly, followed by several yards of
neck. It peered at them short-sightedly, weaving its head from side to
side to get a better view. David saw that it had two short, straight
horns just in front of its ears, eyes that were soft and cowlike, and
a most expressive set of whiskers. The whiskers were now at a
doubtful, half-mast angle.</p>
<p>"Ah, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster at last in a mild voice. "Can't
you remember to wake me a bit more gently? I thought you were—"<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_86" id="Page_86"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Come on out," said the Phoenix firmly, "and stop looking like a lost
sheep."</p>
<p>"Uh—what about—uh—that?" said the Sea Monster hesitantly, pointing
one ear at David.</p>
<p>"This," said the Phoenix, "is David. He is getting an education. I
assure you that he will not bite."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster swam toward them, heaved itself out of the water, and
offered its huge flipper for David to shake.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/image_088.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="481" alt="" /></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_87" id="Page_87"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Sorry I rushed off like that," it said. "The trouble is, I've had
such a bad case of war nerves. Why, sometimes I jump out of my skin at
nothing at all."</p>
<p>"Were you in the war?" David asked.</p>
<p>"Ah, <i>was</i> I," sighed the Sea Monster. It flopped down comfortably on
its belly, curled its tail around its front flippers, and sighed
again. But David noticed that its whiskers had perked up to a quite
cheerful angle. The Sea Monster was obviously delighted to have
someone listen to its troubles.</p>
<p>"Yes," it said, heaving a third sigh, "I was. From the very beginning,
much against my will. Guns all over the place! Terrible!"</p>
<p>"Did they shoot you?" David asked, horrified.</p>
<p>"Well, <i>at</i> me, anyway. I'm thankful to say they never hit me, but
there were some pretty near misses. All the oceans were simply packed
with ships. I couldn't lift my head out of water without bringing down
a perfect rain of shells and bullets."</p>
<p>"The <i>intelligent</i> thing in that case," the Phoenix broke in with a
sniff, "would have been to stay <i>under</i> water."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster dryly. "But I <i>do</i> like to
breathe now and then. Anyway, I wasn't<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_88" id="Page_88"></SPAN></span> safe even under water. They'd
drop depth charges on me. One ship even launched a torpedo at me!"</p>
<p>"How awful!" said David.</p>
<p>"Tut! my boy," said the Phoenix. "I have no doubt our friend is
stretching the truth shamelessly. You need not look so smug, Monster.
You were not the only one in the war. <i>I</i> have gone through
anti-aircraft fire a number of times. Some of it was very severe. In
fact, once I—"</p>
<p>"Once I had the whole North Atlantic fleet after <i>me</i>," the Sea
Monster interrupted proudly.</p>
<p>"And <i>I</i> remember the Franco-Prussian War!" said the Phoenix. "Which,
I daresay, you do <i>not</i>."</p>
<p>"Well—uh—no, I don't."</p>
<p>"There you are!" the Phoenix crowed.</p>
<p>The Sea Monster, looking rather ruffled, pointedly turned from the
Phoenix and said to David, "What should you like to do, David?"</p>
<p>David suddenly remembered what they had come for, and the excitement
rushed back into his heart. He opened his mouth to cry "We want to dig
for treasure!" and then stopped short. Asking for money, he knew, was
an impolite thing to do—especially from someone you had only just
met. And there was no telling how the Sea<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_89" id="Page_89"></SPAN></span> Monster might feel about
people nosing around for its treasure. So he looked at the Phoenix and
waited for it to speak.</p>
<p>The Phoenix caught David's glance, cleared its throat several times,
and looked apologetically at the Sea Monster. "Monster, old chap," it
said soothingly, "I am deeply sorry for having doubted you just now.
Deeply sorry."</p>
<p>"Quite all right," said the Sea Monster stiffly.</p>
<p>"Yes," the Phoenix continued, "we both know that you have passed
through perilous times, through dangers which (I must confess) would
have left <i>me</i> a shattered wreck."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster sighed sadly, but its whiskers were beginning to rise
again.</p>
<p>"The Monster bears up very well under this fearful strain—don't you
think so, my boy? A splendid example for the rest of us. Magnificent."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster's whiskers were quivering with pleasure.</p>
<p>"Monster, old chap, old friend, you were never one to let a boon
companion down. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred
times: 'The Sea Monster,' I have said, 'the Sea Monster is the helpful
sort. Mention the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_90" id="Page_90"></SPAN></span> words Staunch Friend,' I have said, 'and
immediately the Sea Monster comes to mind.'"</p>
<p>The Phoenix reached up one wing and began to pat the Sea Monster's
flipper.</p>
<p>"Monster, old chum, we—ah—we—Well, the plain fact is that
we—ah—we have need of—such a trifling matter" (here the Phoenix
gave a careless laugh) "that I should not really bring it up at all.
Ah—we need a bit of money."</p>
<p>"Oh," said the Sea Monster. Its whiskers sagged.</p>
<p>"Now, please do not be offended, Monster," said the Phoenix hastily.
"After all, you have no need for the treasure, and it does absolutely
no good buried under the ground."</p>
<p>"It doesn't do any harm there, either," said the Sea Monster. "Really,
Phoenix, I never thought <i>you</i>—"</p>
<p>"Monster," said the Phoenix solemnly, "<i>this</i>—is a matter of life or
death."</p>
<p>"Life or death—ha!"</p>
<p>"Please, Monster," said David. "It really is life or death, because
the Scientist is chasing the Phoenix, and the Phoenix has a plan to
escape him, and we need some money to carry out the plan so the
Scientist can't hurt the Phoenix."<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_91" id="Page_91"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"A few small coins will do," added the Phoenix, with a winning smile.
"A louis d'or, for example, or some pieces of eight. After which you
may bury the rest again."</p>
<p>"<i>Please</i>, Monster!" David begged.</p>
<p>The Monster looked at David, and at the Phoenix, and then at David
again, and then at the lagoon. It sighed a very doubtful sigh.</p>
<p>"Oh ... all right," it said reluctantly. "But for goodness sake, don't
go telling anyone where you found it."</p>
<p>"Of course not," said the Phoenix. And David leaped up and shouted
"Hooray!" and grabbed the spade and his jacket.</p>
<p>"The stuff is on the next island," said the Sea Monster. "I can swim
over with you two on my back. This way, please—we have to leave from
the outer beach."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster was a magnificent swimmer. Its neck cut through the
water like the stem of a Viking ship, and it left a frothing wake
behind. Every once in a while it would plunge its head into the water
and come up with a fish, which it would swallow whole.</p>
<p>"Should you like some breakfast, David?" said the Sea Monster.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/image_094.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="296" alt="" /></div>
<p>"No, thank you," David answered, "but you go right ahead. Phoenix," he
added, "what <i>are</i> you doing?"</p>
<p>The Phoenix, which had been walking up and down with its wings clasped
behind its back, stopped and gazed over the sea. "Pacing the
quarter-deck, my boy. Scanning the horizon. That is what one usually
does at sea, I believe."</p>
<p>"You'll be wanting us to call you Admiral next," said the Sea Monster
acidly.</p>
<p>They steamed on. Twenty minutes and seventy-six large breakfast fish
later they sighted the island—a little smudge on the horizon, dead
ahead.</p>
<p>"Land ho!" a voice croaked. "Thank heavens."</p>
<p>David turned in surprise. The Phoenix was no longer pacing the
quarter-deck and scanning the horizon.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_93" id="Page_93"></SPAN></span> It was sitting limply with its
head down and a glassy stare in its eyes.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/image_095.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="281" alt="" /></div>
<p>"You had better hurry up," David said to the Sea Monster. "I think the
Phoenix is seasick."</p>
<p>"Am not," the Phoenix gasped. "Merely (ulp!) temporary."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster turned and smiled sweetly at the Phoenix. "You'll get
used to it in no time, Admiral."</p>
<p>When they landed, however, the Phoenix recovered rapidly and even
began to put on a slight nautical swagger. The Sea Monster humped off
down the beach, followed eagerly by the two treasure hunters. In a few
minutes it came to a halt and sniffed the sand very carefully,
swinging its head snakelike to and fro. It settled on one spot,
sniffed it thoroughly, felt the sand with its<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></SPAN></span> whiskers, and then
solemnly announced: "Here."</p>
<p>"Ahoy, me hearties!" the Phoenix shouted. "Turn to and stand by to
splice the main brace! Steady as she goes, mates!"</p>
<p>David needed no encouragement from anyone. He began to dig furiously.
Flashing in the sun, the spade bit into the beach, and coarse white
sand spurted in all directions. The Phoenix was quite as excited as
David. It danced around the deepening hole with eyes asparkle,
shouting such piratical terms as "Shiver me timbers!" "Strike your
colors!" and "Give 'em no quarter, lads!" Suddenly it began to beat
time with its wing and to sing in a raucous voice:</p>
<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
<span class="i0">"Cut the King's throat and take the King's gold—<br/></span>
<span class="i0">Heave ho, bullies, for Panama!<br/></span>
<span class="i0">There's plenty of loot for the lad who is bold—<br/></span>
<span class="i0">Heave away, bullies, for Panama!"<br/></span></div>
</div>
<p>"You're flat on that last note," said the Sea Monster.</p>
<p>"My dear Monster, I have perfect pitch!"</p>
<p>"Oh, yes—you have perfect sea legs, too."</p>
<p>"Well, ah—How are you coming along, my boy? Any signs of treasure?"</p>
<p>David did not hear. In fact he heard nothing from<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_95" id="Page_95"></SPAN></span> the first crunch of
the spade onward. His education was now richer by this fact: once you
start out after treasure, you can think of nothing else until it is
found. The sun was beating hotly on him, little rivulets of sweat
poured down his face and arms, his muscles ached, blisters were
beginning to form on his hands. Heedless of all, he dug on. He had
settled into the rhythm of it now, and nothing could distract him.</p>
<p>"Tell you what's a good thing for seasickness," said the Sea Monster
slyly. "You take a—" Pretending not to hear, the Phoenix stood first
on one leg and then on the other and stared into the sky. David dug
tirelessly.</p>
<p>Suddenly the spade grated on something solid, and they all jumped.
David shouted "Here it is!" and shoveled up sand frantically. The
Phoenix danced around the hole, also shouting. Even the Sea Monster
arched its neck to get a better view. They could see a brass ring,
crusted with verdigris, fastened to a partly-exposed piece of wood.
The sand flew. Now they could see studded strips of metal bound to the
wood, and a rusty padlock. And in a few minutes a whole chest, with
slanting sides and a curved lid and tarnished brass hinges, was
uncovered. David threw the spade on the beach, seized the brass
handle, and tugged. It came off in his hand.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_96" id="Page_96"></SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/image_098.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="573" alt="" /></div>
<p>"Here, let me," said the Sea Monster. David got out of the hole, and
the Sea Monster worked one flipper carefully under the chest. "Look
out," it said, and heaved its flipper up. The chest shot into the air,
tumbled down end over end, and split wide open on the beach.</p>
<p>David gasped. A dazzling, sparkling heap spilled out on the sand.
There were heaps of gold and silver<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_97" id="Page_97"></SPAN></span> coins, the silver black with
tarnish but the gold still bright. There were pearls, rubies,
diamonds, beryls, emeralds, opals, sapphires, amethysts. And
bracelets, necklaces, pendants, sunbursts, brooches, rings, pins,
combs, buckles, lockets, buttons, crucifixes. And carved pieces of
jade and ivory and coral and jet. And coronets, crowns, tiaras, arm
bands. And jeweled daggers, picture frames, vases, silver knives and
forks and spoons, sugar bowls, platters, goblets.</p>
<p>For an hour they examined the treasure. David fairly wallowed in it,
exclaiming "Look at this one!" or "Oh, how beautiful!" or just
"Golly!" The Phoenix muttered such things as "King's ransom" and
"Wealth of the Indies." The Sea Monster was not interested in the
treasure, but kept glancing nervously out to sea.</p>
<p>At last the Phoenix said, "Well, my boy, I think we had better make
our choice. Three or four coins should do it."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster gave a relieved sigh. "Let's get the rest of it
underground right away. You have no idea what trouble it can cause."</p>
<p>The choice was difficult. There were so many coins, all of them with
queer writing and heads of unknown gods and kings. David finally
picked out four gold pieces<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_98" id="Page_98"></SPAN></span> and tied them up in his handkerchief.
Then the Sea Monster swept the rest of the treasure into the hole.
They all pushed sand in on top of it and jumped on the mound till it
was level with the rest of the beach.</p>
<p>The Phoenix turned to the Sea Monster and said solemnly: "Monster, old
fellow, I knew you would not fail us. You stood forth in our hour of
need, and we shall not forget."</p>
<p>And David echoed, "Thank you, Monster."</p>
<p>The Sea Monster ducked its head and blushed. A wave of fiery red
started at its nose, traveled rapidly back over its ears, down its
neck, along the body, and fanned out to the tips of its flippers and
the extreme end of the barb in its tail.</p>
<p>Even its whiskers turned pink.</p>
<p>"Well—uh—glad to help—uh—nothing to it, really," it mumbled. Then
it turned abruptly, galloped down to the sea, plunged into the surf,
and was gone.</p>
<hr style="width: 65%;" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_99" id="Page_99"></SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/image_101.jpg" width-obs="150" height-obs="296" alt="" /></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />