mouth."

He explained that the fish they had hooked was the _blue shark_, which,
although he does not attempt to take the fisherman's life, is yet one of
his greatest foes. If he cannot bite through a line he often rolls it
round and round himself in a way that is most difficult for the
fisherman to undo; and sometimes he will swim among the nets, killing
the fish in mere wantonness apparently, and biting the meshes. Now and
then, however, he gets caught himself--a small satisfaction considering
the damage he causes.

It took some time before his sharkship was wearied out, and when at
length he was hauled up on the raft, it was found that he had contrived
to wind several fathoms of the line round his body. From the line
having been kept tight, it was not so cleverly twisted as is often the
case, and a blow on the tail quieted him before he had managed further
to wriggle it round himself after he was out of the water. When the
line was unwound, and the shark stretched out, he was a handsome-looking
fish of a blue lead colour, about four feet long. Harry and David did
not feel disposed to eat any of the shark, but when assured by the old
fisherman that neither he nor any of his ancestors had ever touched
flesh, they got over their reluctance, and as their appetites told them
it was dinner-time, they each took a thin slice with some biscuit. They
agreed that when cooked it would be tolerable food.

After this meal David, having got his line in order, and both their
lines being baited with shark, they commenced fishing. After some time
Harry got a bite.

"A fine fish, I am sure, by the way he tugged," he exclaimed, hauling up
the line.

It came up very easily, though, and instead of the large fish he
expected, a small whiting appeared. Several others were pulled up in
succession. As Harry was hauling in his line after a bite, he felt a
heavy weight suddenly come on it. Still he was able to get it in.

"It is something curious, but what it can be I am sure I don't know," he
exclaimed, hauling away, while David looked eagerly on.

"What a monster!" they cried out both together, when a huge mass, with
what looked like a number of snakes wriggling about round it, was seen
on the surface amidst a circle of dark water.

"That's a squid," remarked old Jefferies. "Some of them are awkward
customers in the water, but he can do you very little harm out of it."

The truth of this last assertion was put to the test