g Cole asked where he was. There'd be a row and a bit o'
shooting, I dessay, for it's amazing, that it is, amazing, the way the
old vagabone has took to our lad. But I don't like his going off with
'em, and with nothing better than a bit of a toothpick of a knife.
Wouldn't be long before he got hold of a club, though, I know."

Bostock went back to his galley shaking his head, and at the same time
Carey was mentally shaking his own.

"An old stupid," he said. "I wish he hadn't said that. Just as if it
was likely that Black Jack or either of the others would hurt me without
Old King Cole was there to say `Css!' to them and hound them on.
Wouldn't hurt me, would you, Black Jack?" he said aloud.

"Hey? Wood hurt um?" cried the man, and he pulled the boy on one side,
dropped on his knees, and began to feel about the bottom of the canoe
with his hand. "No hurt."

"No; all right now," said Carey, smiling. "Here, Jackum, I want to
learn to throw the boomerang. Give me hold."

The boy made a snatch at the crescent-moon-like weapon, and got hold;
but the black seized it too, shouting, "No, no, no!" and his companions
began to shout what sounded like a protest.

"No, no throw. Go bottom."

"I should make it come back."

The black grinned knowingly.

"Jackum show soon. Jackum fro."

He sent the strange weapon flying on before them, and cleverly caught it
as it returned; but then he stuck it in his girdle again, shaking his
head.

"Go bottom," he said.

Carey was disappointed, but his attention was taken up directly by
something more exciting, for as the canoe glided along, with the
outrigger literally skipping over the water, the boy suddenly became
conscious of what seemed for the moment like another canoe of nearly the
same size, sunk beneath the surface and gliding along at the same speed.

For the moment he thought it must be the canoe's shadow somehow cast
beside them, but the next moment he grasped the fact that it was a great
fish, probably a shark, which had come in through the opening with the
last high tide, and was now on the prowl.

There was no doubt about it, for the blacks had seen it, and they
laughed as they saw their passenger shrink to the other side and lean
over towards the outrigger.

The next moment Jackum drew his attention with a touch, and began making
hideous grimaces at the creature, while the others began to shout and
were apparently calling it every opprobrious name that t