ey advanced, the water
became deeper, shoaled again, then grew deeper beyond the channel; at
last Jerry rang for reversed engines, the cable roared out, and the
engines ceased.

"Now, lads," he said, "we're over that there wreck. Let's have a look."

They followed him eagerly enough to the deck, where already the crew
were looking over the bulwarks. The water was wonderfully clear, but as
it was forty feet deep here, they could make out nothing of the bottom.
Just under their ladder and gangway, however, the quartermaster pointed
out a deeper shadow of green, which he declared showed the position of
the wreck.

"We'll send down a Kanaka in the morning," he said. "And if that there
ain't the old wreck, lads, then Jerry Smith is a Dutchman!"

"But what about the shark?" objected Bob stoutly. "You aren't going to
send down any men there, Jerry, with that shark hanging around. Not if I
know it!"

"Well, them Kanakas lost my dynamite, didn't they?" snarled Jerry
suddenly, his face sweeping into quick anger.

"That's no matter," rejoined Mart. "You needn't think we'll stand for
any men going down--"

"Look ye here, lads," and Jerry faced them solemnly. "Them Kanakas ain't
like us white men, d'ye see? First, they ain't afraid o' sharks. They
take knives down an' kill sharks for fun, like your father kills tigers.
Then they swim like fish themselves, lads. If the sea hadn't spoiled
that there dynamite, they'd 'a' brought it up as quick as it went down."

"Maybe you're right," answered Bob, "but there's something about this
whole business that I don't like, Jerry. That's flat. You deceived dad
by not telling him about this Pirate Shark till we'd got here, and you
haven't told him about the wreck yet. All I can say is, you'd better
play square, Jerry. When it comes to sending down any o' those Kanakas
to investigate your private troubles, and risking their lives, I'm not
going to stand for it."

Jerry smiled softly, and gazed out at the sparkling waters of the
lagoon.

"Lads, I'm in command o' this here ship," he said quietly. "You've got
nothin' to say aboard her, by rule o' the sea. But old Jerry ain't that
kind, lads--no, he likes ye both too much for that. Look here, Master
Bob, we'll not send down any men but them as volunteers to go, eh? If
they want to go, all right; if they don't, why, all right too! Ain't
that fair, now? Ain't it?"

Bob glanced at Mart, who made answer.

"Yes, that's fair enough, Jerry. I