ed the same uncommon fierceness and audacity
which had astonished us in the individual referred to. He was a trim,
round-bodied, compact fellow with a wonderful display of vigour, and
even of grace, in his movements; but though not without a certain kind
of beauty, I do not wish to be understood as saying that his personal
appearance was upon the whole, prepossessing. On the contrary, his
expression, if I may venture to use the term, (and he certainly had a
good deal of expression), was, if not decidedly bad, at the least
exceedingly sinister. His flattened head, and long leather-like snout
together with a pair of projecting goggle eyes, so situated as to
command a view both in front and rear, and which he kept turning
restlessly on every side, contributed greatly to enhance this forbidding
aspect. Every moment he seemed to grow fiercer and bolder, and at
length he actually laid hold of our keel next the rudder and fairly
shook the boat from stem to stern. To our great relief, he soon
desisted from this, for such was his bulk and strength, that we hardly
knew what he might not effect in his furious efforts. His next move,
was to make a sudden dash at Max's oar, which had probably given him
offence by coming too near his nose, and which he jerked from his hands.

Max seemed to regard this last exploit as a personal affront, and loudly
declared that, "this was going altogether too far, and that he should
not stand it any longer." He accordingly proceeded with great energy,
to lash his cutlass to the handle of one of the remaining oars, with
some twine which he found in the locker, threatening all sorts of
terrible things against the unsuspecting object of his wrath. Meanwhile
Morton succeeded in fishing up the lost oar, which the vigilance and
activity of our attentive escort rendered a somewhat dangerous
undertaking; when recovered, the marks of six rows of formidable teeth
were found deeply indented upon its blade.

Max having completed his novel weapon, Browne, who had been engaged in
an unprofitable attempt to strike the shark across the eyes with his
cutlass, inquired, "what he was going to do with that clumsy
contrivance!"

"That clumsy contrivance, as you rashly term it," replied Max, with
dignity, "is designed as a shark-exterminator, with which I intend
forthwith to pay my respects to this audacious sea-bully. We have stood
on the defensive quite long enough, and I am now about to carry the war
into A