rd in his
fright, but for Billy Widgeon's restraining hand, when the poor little
animal took refuge beneath his legs, while Bruff set up a furious bark,
his hair ruffling up about his neck, and his eyes glistening with anger.

But shriek or yell had no influence upon the hungry shark, which seemed
to glide like a glistening curve or arch of shark right over the bows of
the boat, striking her side in the descent as the fish passed into the
sea again; but so heavy was the blow, and so great the creature's
weight, that the gig was extremely near being capsized.

"Pass me the other gun, Mark," cried the captain. "Look out, Gregory,
whatever you do. Another attack like that, and the brute will have us
over, and--"

He left his sentence unfinished, while Mark passed the gun, and then
resumed his grasp of the thwart upon which he was seated, holding on
with both hands, while in the agony of dread he suffered the great drops
of perspiration stood out upon his forehead, and ran together, and
trickled down the sides of his nose, as his breath came thick and fast.

Some very heroic lads would, no doubt, have drawn a knife, or seized an
oar, or done something else very brave in defence, but in those brief
moments Mark was recalling stories he had read about sharks seizing
struggling people as they were swimming, and that the water was stained
with blood, and one way and another he was as thoroughly frightened as
ever he had been in his life.

"Now, then!" said the captain, as the shark completed another circuit of
the boat, and was about to repeat his evolution. "Both together at his
head, and fire low as he rises."

It was a quick shot on the part of both, delivered just as the shark
rose from the water again to leap at the boat, which probably
represented to him an eatable fish swimming on the surface, while, as
the two puffs of smoke darted from the guns and the loud reports rang
out, the great fish fell short, but struck its nose against the side of
the gig, and sank down in the water, the back fin disappearing, and
coming up again fifty yards away.

"I think we'll be contented," said the captain, closing the breech of
his piece, and passing it to Mark. "Let's make a masterly retreat,
Gregory."

"Think he'll come back?"

"I should say no," replied the captain. "The brute has evidently had
quite as much as he requires for the present."

"Will it kill him?" asked Mark.

"Can't say. I should think not. He must