ess than half an hour he was back again with the medicine-chest and
all its contents; which he had brought away bodily without going through
the formality of asking permission.

The splints were by this time ready; and then began the long, tedious,
and painful operation of setting and dressing the limb, in the
performance of which Dickinson rendered valuable and efficient service.
The long agony proved almost too much for Bob; he went ghastly pale and
the cold perspiration broke out in great beads all over his forehead;
seeing which the boatswain's mate beckoned with his hand to one of the
men standing near, and whispered him to fetch his (Dickinson's)
allowance of grog.

The man went away, and soon returned with not a single allowance but a
pannikin-full of rum, the result of a spontaneous contribution among the
men as soon as they were informed that it was wanted for Bob. With the
aid of an occasional sip from this pannikin the poor lad was able to
bear up without fainting until Lance had done all that was possible for
him; and then Dickinson and three other men, lifting him upon a strip of
tarpaulin lashed to a couple of oars, carried him down to one of the
boats, and jumping in, with Lance and Captain Staunton--who could not be
persuaded to trust May out of his arms--pushed off and rowed him down to
the bottom of the bay.

About a couple of hundred yards from the rocks they passed the body of a
great dead shark floating belly upwards upon the surface of the water.
The creature appeared to be nearly twenty feet long; and the blood was
still slowly oozing from three or four stabs and a couple of long deep
gashes near the throat. The mouth was open; and as the boat swept past
its occupants had an opportunity to count no less than five rows of
formidable teeth still erect in its horrid jaws. Captain Staunton
pressed his child convulsively to his breast as he gazed at the hideous
sight; and Dickinson, who pulled the stroke-oar, averred with an oath
his belief that there was not another man on the island with pluck
enough to "tackle" such a monster.

"By the bye, Robert," said Captain Staunton, "you have not yet told us
how you came to break your leg. Did you strike it against the timber
when you jumped overboard, or how was it?"

"No, sir," said Bob. "It was this way. Just as I reached the end of
the plank I caught sight of the brute rushing straight at May. I could
see him distinctly against the clean sandy