and thicker blew the fog. Finally it blotted out the
_Barracouta_; but Percy's last view of her told that she was heading his
way. What if she could not find him! The thought gave him an unpleasant
chill. He rowed harder.

A splash astern attracted his attention. A violent shock set the dory
quivering. He started up just in time to see a large fish dart away,
leaving the blood streaming from a gory wound in the head of the
swordfish.

A shark! Percy knew he was in for a fight. He seized the lance and
sprang into the stern.

A black fin shot alongside. The marauder rolled up for his turn at the
banquet. Just as his jaws opened Percy drove the keen steel into his
throat.

Mad with fright and pain, the robber flashed off, thrashing the bloody
water. Another fin appeared on Percy's left. Again he lunged, and found
his mark. The tail of the wounded shark struck the dory a heavy blow.
Down it rolled, almost pitching the boy overboard head foremost among
the blood-crazed sea-tigers. For a moment he sickened at what might have
happened; but he regained his balance and hung to the lance. His
fighting blood was roused. He had risked too much already to have the
swordfish torn to pieces under his very eyes.

Knees braced tightly against the sides of the stern, hands locked round
the stout butt of the lance, he foiled rush after rush of the
black-finned, white-bellied pirates. Again and again he lunged and
stabbed, until the water round the rocking boat was dyed crimson.

[Illustration: KNEES BRACED TIGHTLY AGAINST THE SIDES OF THE STERN,
HANDS LOCKED ROUND THE STOUT BUTT OF THE LANCE, HE FOILED RUSH AFTER
RUSH OF THE BLACK-FINNED, WHITE-BELLIED PIRATES]

There seemed to be no end to the sharks. Fins crisscrossed the water all
about and cut in toward the swordfish in quick, savage rushes. Percy was
becoming exhausted; his arms ached; his breath came short. He could not
keep up the fight much longer. Where was the _Barracouta_?

He shouted at the top of his lungs. Unexpectedly, out of the fog to
starboard Jim's voice answered him.

"Sharks!" yelled Percy. "This way! Quick!"

"Fight 'em off! We're coming!"

In less than two minutes the sloop was alongside, and oars and harpoon
helped beat off the assailants while the prize was being hoisted aboard.
Though badly gouged and bitten about the head, the swordfish was but
little impaired in value, for its body had hardly been touched. Another
of about the same size lay in th