hen, as
the leading shark turned over on its back and bit at the guernsey,
Jackson slipped the running knot over its tail, pulling the noose in so
that it held tightly. Then, seizing the handspike, he began belabouring
the monster in a way that must pretty well have astonished its weak
nerves, Jake the while stabbing it in the tail-end of the body with his
long-bladed knife.

There was a terrific scuffle in which the water was tossed high in the
air; but, after a minute or two, the shark broke the rope and managed to
get away, although it was so seriously injured that it still remained on
its back, and a quantity of blood poured out from the wounds it had
received.

This made the crippled animal's comrades set upon it, tearing it to
pieces between them; and, while they were gorging themselves with the
dissevered carcass, Jake dived into the sea under the fierce creatures,
stabbing them wherever he could with such effect that his onslaught
frightened the whole lot away--not a shark being visible in the vicinity
within a few minutes after the commencement of the fray!

"Jerryboosalum!" exclaimed Jake, when, presently, he emerged all
dripping and triumphant from the blood-stained waters. "We pay out dem
debbels for ebberybody now. You nebber see dem come back hyar agin,
I'se bet."

Nor did we.

There was no doubt of the rapacious brutes having been finally scared
away.

"You're a couple of brave fellows," cried Captain Miles when the two
avengers climbed back in again on to the poop bulwarks, after thus
carrying the war into Egypt, routing the foes that had kept us so long
prisoners, and prevented us from doing anything towards righting the
ship. "Now, I think, we can make another attempt to find that axe of
the carpenter's in the fo'c's'le, if you are not too tired, Jake, to go
in after it again?"

"Bress you, no, Mass' Captain, me no tire' at all! Me get axe in brace
ob shakes, if um dar," answered the willing fellow, laughing and showing
his shining ivory teeth as he opened his mouth from ear to ear; and,
almost as soon as he had uttered the words, he ran along the bulwarks
towards the fore part of the ship, scrambled out into the main rigging,
and dived into the sea immediately over the opening into the forecastle,
at the same spot where he had previously gone down.

Once, twice, he came up to the surface again to take breath after a
lengthened stay under the water; but, each time he rose with empty
ha