sponge beds? Ef Ah eber gets on sho' again Ah'll
be a betteh man. Lordy, Lordy, what am Ah gwine to do?"

His voice rose in a shriek.

"He's a-comin' now!"

The pointed fin jerked suddenly and a third of the gigantic shape heaved
itself into the air as the devil ray whirled. There was an instant of
suspense, but the giant went past, one huge fin beating the air like the
waving of some uncanny monstrous moth born in the terrors of a
nightmare, and the boat was wrenched around sharply, half filling it and
almost throwing Colin out.

Over almost exactly the same course that he had taken, the ray raced
back, the weight of the boat seeming to make no difference to its speed;
and then a second time the creature turned. It seemed impossible that
with a speed of not less than twenty miles an hour so huge a
creature--the size of one side of a tennis court--could twist about in
its own length. How the rope and the frame of the boat stood the strain
no one ever knew.

Once more the vampire turned; the boat nearly went over, but she was a
staunch little craft, and the fish started down the lagoon between the
reefs at its top speed. Often the creature put its two horn-like
tentacles down for a dive, but the water was everywhere shallow and
there was no chance to drag the boat under.

"It doesn't seem to be tiring much," the capitalist remarked, "but I
don't see what more we can do."

"No," Colin answered, "I don't think the ray feels our weight at all. I
believe it's going faster."

"We's all gwine to de bottom," wailed the negro. "Lordy, Ah been a bad
man, but ef Ah ebeh gets mah two feet asho' Ah'll nebeh do nuffin
again!"

There was no doubt of it, the vampire was going faster and faster every
minute. The line hissed as it cut through the water, and Pete, despite
his moaning, was baling for dear life. Darkness was closing in and the
ray sped on. On either side were reefs, and many times the boat grazed
sharp coral which would have ripped the bottom out of her if she had
struck. Mr. Murren stood by the bow with knife in hand ready to cut,
waiting to the last minute.

Presently a line of breakers, between two islets, appeared directly
ahead. It was only a matter of seconds till they would be reached, but
remembering how the ray had turned before, Colin clutched the gunwale of
the boat to prevent being flung out of it like a stone from a catapult
when the creature swerved.

"It's a-comin', now!" shrieked Pete. "We's a