long swim," exclaimed Jerry.

"But those sharks are quite sufficient reason why we should not attempt
anything of the sort," I remarked. "Here, I think, we are pretty safe;
but we must keep our eyes about us, depend on that." We were inside a
reef where sharks were unable to come.

While we were speaking, we observed Silva walk slowly into the water,
and we thought he was going to stoop down and swim off. First, he put a
foot forward, then he placed the other near it, and seemed to be trying
to lift them up; and then he put an arm down, and then another. We, not
thinking of danger, ran into the water and swam about for some time,
enjoying ourselves excessively. When we came out we looked for Silva;
he was nowhere to be seen. What had become of him? We dressed as fast
as we could, and ran along the beach to the spot where he had been.
There were his clothes, but there was no other trace of him. We
shouted, but we shouted in vain. Much alarmed, we ran back to the
settlement, as we called our hut, to get Cousin Silas or Ben to
accompany us in our search for him. Mr Brand had gone in an opposite
direction, but, after waiting some time, Ben Yool came in. After he had
heard our account he launched the canoe, and all three of us set off
along the coast to the spot where Silva had last been seen. As we got
near it we saw the doctor, and hailing him, told him what had occurred.
Silva's clothes showed us exactly where to look for him, though,
believing that a shark had carried him off, we had little hopes of
finding his body. As we were pulling in quite close to the shore, Ben
exclaimed, "Why, there he is, poor fellow, moored head and stern! What
can have got hold of him?" We called the doctor to come and see; and
Jerry jumping on shore, gave up his place to him in the canoe. When the
doctor, got over the spot, after a short examination he exclaimed, "Why,
it is a monster cephalopod--a squid, a horrid polypus has got hold of
him. Poor fellow, what a dreadful death to die! There can be no doubt
how it happened. He must have stepped on the squid, which caught hold
of him with its long and powerful tentaculas, and gradually infolding
him in its dreadful embrace, dragged him under the water. What strength
the creature must have! for Silva was a very strong man, and would not
easily have given in." Thus the doctor went on lecturing on the polypus
over the dead body of our late companion--his love of natural histor