Jack Dougherty lived in County Clare, right on the seashore. Jack was a fisherman, like his father and grandfather. Like them, he lived completely alone, apart from his wife, and always in one place. People never ceased to wonder why the Dougherty family was so clingy to this wild area, located far from populated areas and tucked between huge worn-out rocks, from where only the endless ocean was visible. But Dougherty had his own good reasons.
On the entire coast this was the only area suitable for habitation. There was a convenient cove here: a boat could hide in it as comfortably as a puffin bird in its nest. A ridge of underwater rocks emerged from this bay directly into the open sea. When there was a storm in the Atlantic Ocean - and this happened often - and a strong westerly wind blew towards the coast, many rich ships crashed on these rocks. And then whole piles of fine cotton or tobacco, or the like, large barrels of wine or rum, barrels of cognac and Dutch gin, washed ashore. In a word, Dunbeg Bay for all the Dohertys was like a small but profitable estate.
This does not mean that they did not show humanity and kindness to the injured sailors if one of them had the good fortune to reach the shore. And in fact, how many times did Jack set out in his fragile little boat - it was true that it could not compare with the rescue sailing ship of honest Andrew Hennessey, although it cut through the sea waves no worse than some fool - to lend a helping hand to the shipwrecked crew. If the ship crashed to pieces and the crew died, was it worth scolding Jack for picking up everything he came across?
- Does anyone suffer from this? - he used to say. - King? God bless him. But everyone knows that he is already rich enough and will somehow manage without what the sea throws up.
And yet, although Jack lived like such a hermit, he was a nice and cheerful guy. No one else, you can be sure, could have persuaded Biddy Mahoney to leave her father's cozy and warm home in the very center of Ennis and go so many miles to live among the rocks, where her closest neighbors were seals and seagulls. But Biddy knew that for a woman who wanted peace and happiness, a better husband than Jack could not be needed. Not to mention fish, Jack supplied half of all the noble families in his district with the finds that sailed into his bay. So Biddy was not mistaken in her choice. No woman ate, drank, or slept so sweetly as Mrs. Dougherty, or looked so proud at Sunday worship.
Jack saw a lot of sights and heard a lot, but, imagine, he remained undaunted. He was not at all afraid of mermen and mermaids; on the contrary, his first and most ardent desire was to meet them face to face. Jack heard that they are very similar to people, but that getting to know them does not lead to good.
Yes, so, he had never had the opportunity to even catch a glimpse of mermaids when they swayed on the surface of the sea, shrouded in a haze of fog: for some reason his boat always drifted in the opposite direction. Jack received a lot of reproaches from Biddy - quietly, as she alone knew how - for spending whole days at sea and returning home without fish. But how could poor Biddy know what kind of fish her Jack was chasing!
And Jack was offended: to live in a place where there are mermaids and mermaids, like lobsters in the sea, and never see them. And what angered him most was that both his father and grandfather often met with them. He even remembered how, as a child, he had heard about his grandfather - he was the first in their family to settle in this bay - as if he had such a friendship with one merman that if not for the fear of the priest’s wrath, he would have adopted him.
In the end, fate had mercy on Jack, deciding that it would only be fair if he learned everything that was revealed to his father and grandfather. And then one fine day when he
rowed along the coast to the north and went a little further than usual; before he had time to round a cape, he suddenly saw something unlike anything he had seen before. It sat very nearby on a rock jutting out into the sea. His body seemed green, as far as could be seen at such a distance. And Jack could have sworn, although it seemed incredible, that he was holding a red cocked hat in his hands.
Jack stood there for almost half an hour, his eyes wide open, he couldn’t be surprised, but the whole time he didn’t move either his arm or his leg. Finally, Jack’s patience ran out, and he began to whistle and call him. But the merman - and it was undoubtedly him - stood up, put a red cocked hat on the top of his head and threw himself headfirst off the cliff into the sea.
After this, Jack became curious; Every now and then he directed his steps towards that place, but never again saw this sea gentleman in the red cocked hat. And in the end he decided that he had simply dreamed it all.
But one day, one stormy day, when the sea swells rose above the mountains, Jack Dougherty decided to look at the rock of the waterman - he had previously chosen clear weather for this - and suddenly he saw this strange creature. It either climbed to the very top of the rock, then threw itself down headfirst, then climbed up again and threw itself down again.
Now Jack just had to choose the right moment, that is, a really windy day, and he could admire the merman as much as he wanted. However, this seemed to him not enough; now he already wanted to make a close acquaintance with the merman.
He succeeded in this too.
One windy day, as soon as Jack reached a place where he could see the rock of the waterman, a storm broke out, and with such fury that Jack had to take refuge in one of the caves, of which there are so many
on the coast. And there, to his greatest surprise, he saw his merman: something with green hair, huge green teeth, a red nose and pig eyes. The merman had a fish tail, legs with scales and short arms like fins. He had no clothes on, only he held a red cocked hat under his arm. He seemed to be deep in thought about something.
Despite all his courage, Jack was slightly taken aback, but immediately decided: now or never! He boldly approached the thoughtful merman, took off his hat, made a low bow and said:
- At your service, sir!
“And I am at your service, Jack Dougherty, with great pleasure!” - answered the merman.
“That’s how it is, how does your honor know my name?” - Jack was surprised.
“How could I not know, my friend, Jack Dougherty?” After all, I knew your grandfather long before he married Judy Regan, your grandmother. Oh, Jack, Jack, I loved your grandfather so much! In his time he was a most worthy man. Neither before him, nor after him, neither on earth nor under the earth, could anyone, like him, pull cognac straight from the shell. “I hope, my friend,” said the old man, winking cheerfully at Jack, “I hope you turn out to be a worthy grandson of your grandfather!”
- Don't worry about me! - answered Jack. “If my mother had fed me on cognac alone, I would still not mind remaining a suckling.”
- What a deal! I'm glad to hear my husband's speeches. We should get to know you better, at least in memory of your grandfather. I must say, Jack, that your father was rather weak, his head was not very strong.
“I think,” says Jack, “that since your honor lives under water, you have to drink heavily to keep warm in such a damp, uncomfortable and cold place.” How many times have I heard it said: he drinks like a fish. Where, dare I ask you, do you get your booze?
- Where do you get it yourself, Jack? - asks the merman, pinching his red nose between his thumb and forefinger.
- Boo-boo-boo! - Jack yelled. “Now I know where!” And I suppose, sir, your Honor has a dry and safe cellar down there to store it?
“Don’t let my cellar worry you,” he says with a grin.
merman, winking at Jack with his left eye.
- Well, of course, sir! - and Jack continues: “I wish I could take a look at him.”
- Why not? - says the merman. - If we meet here next Monday, you and I will talk about this again.
And Jack and the merman parted as the best friends in the world.
On Monday they met, and Jack was not at all surprised to notice that the merman had two red cocked hats: under one arm and under the other.
“Would it be immodest of me, sir, to ask you,” said Jack, “why your honor took two hats with you today?” Are you going to give me one so that I can calm my curiosity?
- No, no, Jack! It’s not so easy for me to get these hats to hand them out left and right. But I invite you to come down to the bottom and dine with me. Actually, that’s why I brought this hat, so you could have lunch with me.
- Lord, save us and have mercy! - Jack exclaimed in amazement. “Do you really want me to go down to the salty, wet bottom of the ocean?” Yes, I will choke and suffocate in this water, not to mention the fact that I might drown! What will poor Biddy have to do without me then? What will she say to this?
- Well, why do you care what she says, you little sucker? Who cares about your Biddy's cooing? In the old days, your grandfather had the same conversations. And how many times did he pull this very hat over his head and boldly dive down after me! He and I tasted many excellent dinners and shells filled with good cognac down there, under the water.
—Are you telling the truth, sir? No joke? - asks Jack. - Oh, then may I not know sorrow all my life and one more day if I turn out to be worse than my grandfather! Let's go, but only without deception. Oh, where did ours go? - Jack exclaimed.
- Well, he looks like a grandfather! — the old man was touched. “And now, let’s go and do everything as I do.”
Both left the cave, entered the water and swam a little until they reached a rock. The merman climbed to the top, Jack behind him. On the other side the rock was as steep as the wall of a house, and the sea below it seemed so deep that Jack almost became afraid.
- Attention, Jack! - said the merman. - Put this hat on your head and remember: you must keep your eyes open all the time. Grab my tail and follow me, whatever happens!
And he dived, and Jack boldly dived after him. They were carried away further and further, and it seemed to Jack that there would be no end to this. Oh, how he would like to sit at home now, near the fire, with Biddy! But what was the use of dreaming about it when he had already traveled so many miles under the waves of the Atlantic Ocean? And he continued to cling to the merman’s tail, so slippery.
Finally, to Jack's great surprise, they emerged from the water, and he found himself on dry land at the very bottom of the ocean. They climbed onto land just opposite a pretty house, skillfully lined with oyster shells. The merman turned to Jack and invited him to enter.
Jack seemed to be speechless: either from surprise, or from fatigue after such a rapid journey under water. He looked around, but did not see a single living creature, with the exception of crabs and lobsters, which were calmly walking in crowds along the sand. Overhead there was a sea that looked like the sky, and in it, like birds, fish circled.
- Why are you silent, old man? - asks the merman. - I dare to think that you had no idea that I had such a cozy establishment here, huh? Did you choke, suffocate or drown? Or are you worried about your Biddy?
- Oh, not this! - says Jack, showing all his teeth in a cheerful grin. - But who would have thought that he would see something like this here?
“Come on, let’s go and see what to cook for us to eat.”
Jack was indeed hungry and was very happy to notice a thin column of smoke rising from the chimney, which meant that preparations were in full swing. He followed the merman into the house and saw a beautiful kitchen there, which had everything.
In the kitchen there was a magnificent table with shelves for dishes, and on them a whole mountain of pots and pans. Two young mermaids were cooking. From here the owner led Jack into a sparsely furnished room. There was no table, no chairs, nothing but stumps and boards to sit on and eat. However, there was a real fire burning in the hearth, and this calmed Jack somewhat.
“Come on, I’ll show you where I keep you know what,” said the merman, looking slyly at Jack.
He opened a small door and led Jack into a luxurious cellar filled with all kinds of barrels: large, medium and small.
“What do you say to that, Jack Dougherty?” A? Isn't it so bad to live underwater here?
- I never doubted it! - Jack answered, clearly anticipating pleasure and sincerely believing what he said.
They returned to the room and found that lunch was already waiting for them. Of course, there was no tablecloth on the table, but what did it matter? Was she always at Jack's house? But the dinner would have done honor to the best house in the country on a holiday. The most exquisite fish! What's surprising about this? Halibut, sturgeon, kosorot, lobster, oysters and twenty other varieties were laid out on the boards. And with them all kinds of foreign drinks, otherwise how else to warm up?
Jack got drunk, ate so much that he couldn’t take another bite in his mouth, and then, picking up the shell with cognac, he said:
- To your health, sir! Excuse me, of course, but it’s damn strange, your honor, that we’ve known each other for so long, and I actually don’t know your name.
- You're right, Jack! — the merman agreed. “I somehow didn’t think about it, but better late than never.” My name is Kumara.
- What a good name, sir! - Jack exclaimed, filling another sink. - For your health, Kuu, I wish you to live another fifty years!
- Fifty years? - Kumara repeated. - Nothing to say, I borrowed it! If you wished me five hundred years, then there would still be something to talk about.
- Heavenly powers! - Jack exclaimed. “Well, you’ve been living here under water for a long time.” Yes, you knew my grandfather, and he has been dead for more than sixty years. It’s probably not life you have here, but raspberries.
- Yes, be sure! Now come on, Jack, try this exciting one.
So they emptied sink after sink, but to his extraordinary surprise, Jack discovered that the drink did not go to his head at all. Most likely it was because there was a sea above them, which cooled their minds.
Old Kumara felt in his element and sang a few songs. But Jack, even if his life depended on it, couldn’t remember more than one.
Ram fam boodle boo,
Ripple deep thread ext; Damdoo doodle Kuu,
Ruffle taffle chichibu!
This was the chorus to one of them. And, to tell the truth, none of my acquaintances were able to grasp any meaning in it. Well, it's the same story with most of our modern songs.
Finally the merman said to Jack:
- Now, my friend, follow me and I will show you my wonders!
He opened a tiny door, led Jack into a huge room, and he saw a whole lot of all sorts of trinkets that Kumara had picked up at the bottom of the sea. But most of all, Jack's attention was attracted by some things, like lobster shells, lined up along the wall right on the ground.
- Well, Jack, do you like my curiosities? - asks old man Kuu.
“I swear, sir,” says Jack, “this is a worthy sight!” Wouldn't it be impertinent of me to ask what these things are, like lobster shells?
- Oh, these? Cages for souls, or what?
- What, what, sir?!
- Well, these are the things in which I hold souls?
- Oh! What souls, sir? - Jack was amazed. - I guess fish don't have souls.
“Well, of course not,” Kuu answered quite calmly. “These are the souls of drowned sailors.”
- Lord, save us and have mercy! - Jack muttered. “But where do you get them?”
- There is nothing simpler! When I notice a nice storm coming up, all I have to do is set out a couple dozen of these shells. The sailors drown, their souls fly away from them and fall straight into the water. What is it like for the poor things in the unusual cold? It won't take long to die here. So they take refuge in my shells. And when there are enough showers, I take them home. They are both dry and warm here. Isn't it lucky for poor souls to come across such wonderful conditions, eh?
Jack was simply dumbfounded and didn’t know what to say. So he didn’t answer anything. They returned to the dining room and drank more cognac. He turned out to be excellent. But it was already late, and Biddy might have begun to worry, so Jack stood up and said:
“I think it’s time for me to hit the road.”
“As you wish, Jack,” said Kuu. “Have a farewell drink before the journey.” You have a cold journey ahead of you.
Jack was a well-mannered man and knew that a farewell drink was not to be refused.
I wonder,” he only remarked, “if I can find
way home?
“Why are you worried,” said Kuu, “after all, I will accompany you.”
And they left the house. Kumara took one of the three-cornered hats and put it on Jack's head backwards, and then put him on his shoulders to make it easier to throw him.
“Well,” he said, throwing Jack up, now you will emerge in the very place from which you dived. Just don’t forget to throw back my hat.
He gave Jack another push, and he flew up like a bubble—glug, glug, gurgle—up and up through the water until he reached the rock from which he had jumped. There he found a comfortable place and climbed out, and then threw down his red hat. And she sank like a stone.
At this time, the summer sun was setting in the beautiful evening sky. The moon glimmered through the clouds. The lone star and the waves of the Atlantic Ocean glowed in the golden glow of the sunset. Noticing that it was late, Jack hurried home. However, at home he did not say a word to Biddy about where he had spent the day.
Jack was very concerned about the plight of the poor souls trapped in the lobster shells. He racked his brains, thinking about how to free them from there. At first he wanted to talk about everything with the priest. But how could the priest help them? And what does Kumara have to do with some priest? And, besides, Kumara was a nice guy, he probably didn’t think at all that he was hurting anyone. Besides, Jack no longer doted on him. True, if they found out that he was dining with a merman, it would not add honor to him.
In general, Jack decided that the best thing would be to invite Kuu to dinner, give him a drink - if he succeeds - and then steal his hat, go down to the bottom and overturn all the shells. However, to do this, first of all it was necessary to get Biddy out of the way: Jack was prudent enough not to trust a woman with a secret.
And so he suddenly became terribly pious and told Biddy that for the sake of the salvation of their souls it would not hurt her to visit the spring of St. John, which is near Ennis. Biddy agreed to this and finally one fine morning, at dawn, she set off, strictly ordering Jack to look after the house.
When the coast was empty, Jack went to the rock to serve
Kumara gave the agreed signal, namely: he threw a healthy stone into the water. Before Jack could throw it, Kuu floated up.
“Good morning, Jack,” he said. “What do you want from me?”
“It’s nothing, there’s nothing to talk about,” Jack replies. “So I decided to invite you to dinner, if you don’t consider it too much liberty on my part.” In general, you are welcome!
- With pleasure, Jack, why not! What time?
- Whatever suits you best, sir. Well, let's say at one o'clock, so you can get home before dark if you want?
- Eat! Wait,” said Kuu. “Don’t be timid!”
Jack returned home, prepared a sumptuous fish dinner and brought out more of his best overseas wines - enough to feed twenty people. Kuu appeared minute by minute, with his red cocked hat under his arm. Dinner was ready, they sat down and began to eat and drink, as befits real men.
Jack couldn't stop thinking about the poor souls imprisoned in cages at the bottom of the ocean, and every now and then he poured cognac on old Kuu, hoping to knock him under the table, and kept trying to persuade him to sing. But poor Jack forgot that there was no sea above their heads to cool his mind. The cognac went to his head and did its job. And Kuu, holding on to the wall, went home, leaving his master dumb, like a cod on Good Friday.
Jack never woke up until the next morning. And in the morning how sad he felt!
“There’s no point in thinking that you can get this old drunkard drunk,” he said. “But then how can I free the poor souls from the lobster shells?”
He thought about this for almost the entire day, and finally it dawned on him.
- Found it! - he said, slapping his knee. - I can bet that Kuu has never tasted our potina in his entire long life. That's it for him! So it’s good that Biddy won’t be home for two more days. I'll try to get him drunk one more time.
And Jack called Kuu again. Kuu laughed at him for not having a strong head, and said that he was no match for his grandfather.
“Test me again,” Jack suggested. “I guarantee that I’ll get you drunk, then sober you up, and then get you drunk again.”
“All at your service,” replied Kumara.
Now during lunch, Jack made sure that his glass was always well diluted, but he poured only the strongest cognac for Kumara. And at the end he says:
- Listen, sir, have you ever drunk pothin? Real mountain dew!
“No,” says Kuu. “What is this?” Where?
- Secret! - says Jack. - But it’s a good drink. Consider me a talker if it is not a hundred times better than some cognac or rum. My Biddy's brother sent a couple of sips as a gift, in exchange for cognac, and I saved it especially to treat you, an old friend of our family.
“Well, let’s see what he’s like,” says Kumara. Potin turned out to be really good. First grade. Which one
smell! Kuu was delighted. He drank and sang “Rum bam boodle boo,” and again and again. And he laughed and danced until he finally fell to the floor and started snoring. Then Jack, because he was very careful to stay sober himself, picked up the red cocked hat and ran to the rock. He dived and very quickly reached Kumara’s abode.
It was quiet all around, like midnight in a cemetery. Not a single mermaid, not a young one, not an old one. Jack went in and knocked over all the shells, but saw nothing, only heard something like a slight whistle or chirp as he knocked them over one by one.
He was very surprised, but then he remembered how the priests often said that no one alive can see the soul in the same way as the wind or the air. Having done all in his power, Jack put the shells in their places and wished the poor souls a happy voyage, wherever they sailed. And then I began to think about going back. He put on his hat the right way, that is, backwards, and went out. But then he discovered that the water was too high above him and there was no hope of reaching it: after all, Kumara was not nearby to throw him up.
Jack walked around in search of a ladder, but did not find it; and not a single rock was visible nearby. Finally, he noticed a place over which the sea hung lowest, and decided to try here. As soon as he got there, some huge cod accidentally lowered its tail. Jack
jumped up and grabbed onto it. The surprised cod rushed up and dragged Jack along with it.
As soon as the cap touched the water, Jack was carried away and he flew up like a cork, dragging along the poor cod, which he forgot to let go of. Instantly he found himself on the rock and without delay rushed to the house, rejoicing at the good deed he had done.
Meanwhile, this is what was happening at his home. Before our friend Jack had time to leave for this soul-liberating enterprise, Biddy returned home from her soul-saving journey to the holy spring. As soon as she entered the room and saw bottles and other things piled up in disarray on the table, she exclaimed:
- Nice thing! What a scoundrel! And why did I, the unfortunate one, marry him! He drinks here with all sorts of tramps, while I go to pray for the salvation of his soul. Fathers, they drank all the iotin that my brother sent. And all the alcohol that he was entrusted with selling.
Then she heard some strange sounds, like mooing. She looked down and saw Kumara slumped under the table.
- May the Holy Virgin Mary help me! Oh my God! I have heard so many times how a person turns into a beast from drunkenness! My God, my God! Jack, my darling, what am I going to do with you? Or rather, what will I do now without you? How can a decent woman live with such a beast?
And with these screams, Biddy ran out of the house and rushed, she didn’t know where, when suddenly she heard the voice of Jack, well known to her, humming a cheerful song. Well, Biddy was delighted when she saw him safe and sound and realized that he had not turned into the devil.
Jack had to tell her everything. And although Biddy was still angry with Jack for not telling her about it sooner, she agreed that he had done a great service to poor souls.
And they went home hand in hand. Jack woke up Kumara and, noticing that he was still not himself, asked him not to lose heart, said that this often happens to decent people, and all because he was not yet accustomed to sweat, and advised him to get a hangover to make him feel better. But Kumara, apparently, has already had enough. He stood up, barely able to stand on his feet, and, unable to squeeze out a single sensible word, slipped into the water so that the journey in the salty sea would cool him slightly.
Kumara never missed his souls. She and Jack
still remained the best friends in the world. And, apparently, Kumara never noticed how Jack freed souls from purgatory. He came up with hundreds of excuses to enter the house under the sea undetected, and each time he overturned the shells and released the souls to freedom. He was only angry that he never saw them. But he knew that this was impossible, and was content with that.
Their friendship lasted for several years. But one fine morning, when Jack, as usual, threw a stone down, there was no answer. He threw another and another, but still did not receive an answer. He left and returned the next morning, but all in vain. And since he did not have a red cap, he could not go down and see what had happened to old Kuu, and decided that the old man, or the old fish - in a word, whoever he was, either died or got out of their region.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru