y," cried
Desmond, as he picked himself up.

"I only hope he will not run away with any more of our hooks," said Tom.
"It will be as well to haul them in before he gets hold of them."

Directly afterwards the line with the shark hook attached was seen to be
pulled violently.

"Hurrah! the voracious brute has got hold of the hook intended for him,"
cried Tom. "Let's haul him in before he breaks clear."

All hands ran to the line. Casey made a bowline round the line, ready
to slip over the shark's head as soon as it should appear above water.
Could it once be got round its body, its capture would be certain.

Peter, in the mean time, got another ready to slip over its tail. The
mate and some of the Malays came to the assistance of the midshipmen.
Keeping a steady pull on the line, they soon brought the head of the big
shark to the surface. It had bolted the hook, and was biting away at
the chain secured to the shank.

"He'll be through it if we don't make haste!" cried Tom. "Quick, quick,
Casey! slip the bowline round him!"

The seaman managed dexterously to do this, and the rest of the crew,
hauling away, at length got its body out of the water. It was a huge
creature, ten feet long. It struggled desperately, beating the water
into foam alongside, so that it was some time before Peter could get a
rope round its tail. That done it was a close prisoner.

"Keep all the lines taut, or he'll be wriggling through them and carry
off the hook and line!" cried Tom. At last it was got up flush with the
bulwarks, when down it came, knocking over poor Billy and two of the
native crew. Had not Tom and Desmond rushed forward and hauled Billy
out of the way, he would have been beaten into a mummy by the furious
lashing of the creature's tail. For several moments it had possession
of the deck, until at length Casey and Peter, having got hold of an axe
apiece, rushed up and each dealt him a blow across the tail, springing
back the next instant out of its way. Again and again they had to
repeat their blows. It was some time before the struggles of the
monster ceased.

"I shouldn't like to be in the way of that fellow's jaws," exclaimed
Billy, as he examined the shark's head.

Just then the creature gave a heave, and Billy sprang back, knocking
over Peter, who, in his turn, tumbling against the skipper, brought him
sprawling to the deck. Captain Stubbins, getting up, furiously attacked
poor Peter, as if he had tum