He reached mid-
channel without encountering any danger, and stopped to look about and
take his bearings. He perceived that he was nearing Charybdis. On
looking around, just as the foremost boat rose on a huge wave, he saw
what he thought to be a shark directly under it. He pulled his knife and
prepared for an attack. He was rather nervous, and the feluccas seemed
an awful distance away. He called out that a shark was in sight.
Immediately, as Paul was afterward informed, the brave editor dropped on
his knees and began to pray that they might not all be swallowed up.
The shark was darting from side to side of the boat, but spying Boyton's
black figure, it turned on its side and swam for him. Paul braced for
the attack, and when the monster was close enough he ripped it under the
mouth, and in going down it struck him a severe blow in the side with
its tail, then disappeared, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Boyton
made away as fast as he could, glad to escape the monster so easily.
He was not attacked again. The tide was carrying him right to the place
where he had first discovered the presence of sharks; but a number of
boats came off from Messina, their occupants yelling and splashing the
water, which served to frighten the brutes away.

On the outer edge of the whirlpool of Charybdis, which is a great eddy
caused by a jutting point of land on which a fort is built, and on the
ebb tide strong enough to swamp a boat, Paul worked for one hour without
advancing a single yard; the people all the while expecting to see him
swallowed up. He held out, however, and at last landed safely at
Messina. The American ships laying there dipped their flags in salute,
and the entire population was filled with astonishment at the successful
termination of the feat. The valiant editor of the Gazette, after
feeling himself safely ashore, became quite a lion, graphically
picturing the adventures of the day to admiring crowds. From the wharf
to the city hall, where a reception had been arranged, the streets on
both sides were lined with troops to protect Paul from the crowds. On
arriving at the hall, he fainted and an examination showed that three of
his ribs had been broken by the shark's tail and that the steel band of
his dress was bent close to his body by the great force of the blow. He
was conveyed to his hotel where he remained for two weeks until he was
quite strong again. For some time after the