appearance began to fade, and soon
vanished altogether. By this time I found it difficult to keep my eyes
open longer, and leaving Browne to finish his watch alone, I resumed my
place on the ceiling planks, and in spite of the hardness of my bed,
which caused every bone in my body to ache, soon slept soundly. When I
again awoke, it was long after sunrise, and we were lying completely
becalmed. A school of large fish were pursuing their gambols at a short
distance, and Browne was rowing cautiously toward them, while Arthur and
Morton stood prepared to attack them with their cutlasses as soon as we
should get within striking distance. We had got almost among them, and
were just beginning to congratulate ourselves upon their apparent
indifference to our approach, when they all at once scattered in every
direction, with manifest signs of terror. The cause of this sudden
movement was not long concealed; a brace of sharks rose in their very
midst; one was visible but for a moment as he rolled over to seize his
prey; the other, less successful in securing a victim, shot past us,
like an arrow, in pursuit of a large division of the fugitives. Soon
after, both of them were seen playing around the boat. They belonged to
the species known as the tiger shark, and bore no resemblance to our
ghastly visitor of the preceding evening. By the consternation which
their sudden appearance had produced among the lesser fishes, they had
in all probability robbed us of our breakfast. Morton, with his
characteristic enterprise, suggested an attack upon one of them by way
of reprisals; but before any measures for that purpose could be taken,
they disappeared, leaving us with no other resource than to await our
fate with such patience and resignation as we could command. The wind
having entirely failed, there was nothing that we could do to change our
situation--absolutely nothing. This forced inaction, with no occupation
for mind or body, no object of effort, contributed to enhance whatever
was painful in our condition, by leaving us to brood over it. The dead
calm which had fallen upon the sea, seemed all that was necessary to
complete our misery. We were all stiff and sore, from the exceedingly
uncomfortable sleeping accommodations of the last two nights; but this
was a comparatively trifling evil. Johnny had a severe cold, his eyes
were inflamed and bloodshot, and he exhibited also strong symptoms of
fever. Nevertheless, silent