of the coil, and before he could jump out of it a half-hitch was caught
round his leg.

"Hold on! hold on, lads!" he shrieked out; "oh, Murray, help!" It was
too late. He was drawn up right over the gunwale, but just as he was
going overboard he seized hold of the peak-halyards, where they were
belayed to the side, and held on like grim death. The shark tugged and
tugged away terribly. He could hold on no longer. He felt his fingers
relaxing their grasp, and in another moment he would have been dragged
under the water with small chance of escape, when Needham seized him
firmly by the jacket. Ned, however, forgot that it would be necessary
for him to get a grasp at something; but before he had done so, he found
himself dragged over with Paddy. At that moment White sprang up, and
grasped hold of his legs just as they were disappearing over the
gunwale; and at the same time Sambo, the other black, caught hold of
White, who would inevitably otherwise have followed Needham, and thus
poor Murray saw himself in a moment about to be deprived of his brother
officer and crew. He himself now sprang to their assistance. All I
have been describing took place within a few seconds of time. With a
boat-hook, fortunately at hand, he got a hold of Paddy's jacket, which
considerably relieved Needham; and at the same moment, the shark coming
up again towards the schooner, he and Needham were hauled on board
again, his leg being happily released from the coil which had caught it
without the necessity of cutting the rope. Poor Paddy's leg was,
however, dreadfully mangled; and, unable to stand, he sank down with
pain on the deck. Queerface was all the time chattering and jumping
about in a state of the greatest excitement, evidently understanding
somewhat of his master's danger; and no sooner did Adair regain the deck
than he ran up, and, squatting down by his side, made so ludicrous a
face that in spite of his pain Terence could not help bursting out into
a fit of laughter, which, as he afterwards remarked, must wonderfully
have relieved poor Queerface's mind. The shark meantime was hauled on
board, though when they had got him thus far he flapped about and
struggled so violently that he almost took the deck from the crew.
Little mercy had he to expect from their hands. His enemies now
attacked him with anything which first came in their way, but they made
little impression on him while his head was the chief point of assault.