Jack at Sea Part 56

"I'll show you," said the mate, and taking hold of a piece of the rope secured to a couple of hooks in the outside of the tub, he cast it loose, hauled a few yards out, and secured the end of the line to a ring-bolt astern. Then, raising his foot, he pressed it on the line where it ran over the boat's edge, slowly increasing the pressure so as to make his boot act as a brake, with the result that the boat began to follow the shark, at first slowly, then faster, and at last, when the line was all out, quite rapidly, farther and farther from the yacht.

"Not a wise shark this," said the mate. "He is going against the tide.

Make it all the better, though, for us. Does not disturb the water where the rest are."

The shark took them for some distance, but at last began to show signs of being tired, and then made a curve round toward the sands, but, finding the water too shallow, made a tremendous leap right out, and came down with a heavy splash, to begin swimming back nearly over the same ground. "Cannot be better, eh?" said the doctor. "It's splendid!"

cried Jack.

"Haul upon him now, my lads," said the mate. "Take the tub forward."

This was done, the tub placed right in the bows, and as two men hauled, another laid the line back in rings, till, about a couple of hundred yards above the sunken canoe, the motion in the water, and the occasional appearance of the harpoon pole and shark's back fin, showed that the end was getting near.

"Now, gentlemen, it's your turn," said the mate. "I'll get out of your way. Hold your lances ready; wait till you get a good chance, and then thrust hard just behind the head. Into the white if you can."

"Strikes me it only takes one to kill a shark," said the doctor quietly.

"Your lance there, Jack."

"No, no, doctor--you," cried Jack excitedly.

"Don't lose the chance, Mr Jack. Be ready, sir. Haul, my lads. Put your foot on the thwart, sir. Now then! Let him have it."

Jack stood there flus.h.i.+ng with excitement, and with his eyes dilated, following out his instructor's orders to the letter, till, startled at the aspect of the monster being brought close up astern, he was ready to shrink from his task.

But he did not. As the mate spoke he thrust the lance down with excellent aim, feeling the keen blade pierce into the great fish's side, and then seeming to dart out again.

"Give it him once more. Well done, sir. Bravo! Now another."

Jack, in his excitement, thrust twice to the mate's orders, and each time the dangerous brute made a feeble rush, but the harpoon held firm, and the last thrusts were fatal. The water was dyed with blood, and the shark turned up, showing all white in the ruddy surface; its tail quivered a little, and its career was over.

A cheer, headed by Edward, rang out, and the beast was examined before being cast loose, a clever cut or two from Lenny's knife setting the harpoon at liberty.

Then, as the dead fish floated away, a good ten feet in length, the tub was replaced astern, and the dummy brought into requisition for a repet.i.tion of the novel fis.h.i.+ng.

"My turn now," said the doctor.

"To harpoon?" said the mate.

"No, no, you do that; I'll lance. And I flatter myself that if I have as good a chance as Jack here, I can perform that feat more artistically, and kill the monster at the first stroke."

"Let's see," said Jack, laughing.

The opportunity soon came, for the blood in the water seemed to have excited the other sharks, one of which, on the same tactics being carried out, soon became fast on to the line; the harpoon held, and after it had towed them about a bit it was brought alongside.

"Now's your time, sir," cried the mate, and the doctor delivered a quick thrust, and, to Jack's great delight, missed entirely.

"Well, that's curious," said the doctor; "I thought I had him."

"Try again, sir."

"Will you let me take my time, Bartlett," said the doctor tetchily. "I want to strike in a particular place."

The mate remained silent, watching; while, after letting two or three chances go by, the doctor struck again and wounded the shark, but with a stroke that seemed to infuse vitality instead of destroying it.

"Lesson, Jack, my lad," he said, rubbing his ear. "Doesn't do to be c.o.c.k-sure about anything. Never mind, third time never fails. Here, you tell me when, Bartlett."

"Very well," said the mate; and as the shark was drawn close up, las.h.i.+ng about a good deal, he cried, "Now!"

The doctor thrust, and his stroke was this time so true that the creature gave a few sharp struggles and turned up dead.

"There, Jack," cried the doctor, "what do you say to that?"

Two more were killed in the course of the next hour, and then one of the men drew the mate's attention to different objects out toward the opening in the reef, and in turn the mate pointed them out to the doctor and Jack.

"I can count at least ten," he said.

"What! sharks?"

"Well, their back fins, and they're all heading up this way. Why, they must swarm on the outside of the reef. We might go on killing them all day."

"We didn't see any hardly before," said Jack.

"Seems as if the more we kill, the more they come to the funeral," cried the doctor.

"Oh, the reason is plain enough," said the mate; "they scent the blood, which is carried out by the tide, and the more we kill, the more will come."

"Signal from the yacht, sir," said Lenny, pointing to a little flag being run up.

"All right. Give way, my lads."

The boat's head was turned, and they were rowed rapidly back, this ending the sharking.

"Strikes me the captain sights the blacks again," said the mate, and in a few minutes they were alongside.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

A CIRc.u.mNAVIGATION.

But no canoes were in sight, for Sir John cried directly--

"Come, I thought you had had long enough for one day. Up with you, we are anxious to be off. Captain Bradleigh says we're wasting steam."

"Beg pardon, coals," said the captain, smiling; and giving his orders, the cutter was hoisted up, the screw began to revolve slowly, and with an easy motion the yacht glided on past the opening in the reef, and then to follow the course taken by the boats.

Two men were placed forward with leads to keep on sounding, but in a short time it was found that the deep water could easily be traced by its darker colour, and the mate ascended to the foremast-head to con the s.h.i.+p, the navigation proving in such perfectly smooth water free from all danger, so that a fair rate of speed was kept up.

The trip was glorious, and as the various points and indentations noted on the previous day were pa.s.sed, they seemed to display fresh beauties, and Jack, full of animation, kept on calling his father's or the doctor's attention to the manifold points of interest.