nquire why we had visited their
domains. Others of still more curious forms and tints were darting in
and out among the rocks; and there were huge lobsters, and crabs, and
crayfish, of various sorts, poking their long antenna? out of gloomy
caverns; and sea-urchins, and star-fish, and the beche-de-mer, lay
scattered about; while huge clams opened wide their broad valves to
catch their unwary prey.

While we were all looking over the side, what had hitherto appeared to
be a huge piece of rock began to move, and the piercing, savage eyes,
and cruel jaws of a vast shark approached the canoe. I felt a shudder
run through my frame as I saw the monster darting out of his ambush.
"Give way!" cried Cousin Silas; "he means mischief." The doctor and I
plied our paddles. The brute made a dash at mine, and almost bit it in
two. Away we went as fast as we could towards the shore, pursued by
him. We shouted as loud as we could and splashed our oars about, to
frighten him away; but he seemed in no way disposed to be alarmed.
Silva, hearing our shouts, now came paddling toward us. Jack Shark,
however, seemed resolved to play us a trick if he could. Swimming off
to a short distance, he darted back, clearly with the intention of
upsetting the canoe. Cousin Silas turned her away from him just in
time, and giving the gentleman a smart blow over the snout, made him
think better of his intention. Silva coming up at the same moment, so
distracted his attention that we reached the shore without his
succeeding in doing us any material damage.

Sharks are generally quickly frightened by splashing and a noise, and I
had never seen any so bold and ferocious as those we met with about this
island. In a little time we got accustomed to them, and often have I
seen them gliding in and out among our lines, far down in the depths of
the lagoon, though they did not prevent us from catching as many fish as
we required. Sometimes, however, as we were hauling up a fish, a shark
would catch hold of it and deprive us of our prize. We never went out
without catching a large quantity, so we had always a good supply of
fresh fish--the rest we preserved. We had two ways of doing this. Some
we cut open and dried in the sun; others we salted. We made some
salt-pans by blocking up the outlets in the rocks when the water ran off
at high tide, and by scraping others in the sand. We thus had a supply
of salt for all our wants. Mr McRitchie also found