am
all right."

"You'll tell him a lie then. Very honourable, upon my word!"

"Here's a pretty how-de-do, Mr Ultra-particular, with your bully bounce
about telling a lie! I shan't do anything of the kind. I shall tell
him I'm all right because I am quite well, thank you. Bother him and
his horrible old stuff! I know I should be pretty mouldy and out of
sorts if I took it. Let him ask the shark how he feels, if he gets the
chance, for here it goes. Pudding first, which means pills--there!"

A faint splash followed a movement on the part of the midshipman, and
Murray saw the calm sea agitated, and faint flashes of phosphorescent
light appear, while directly after it was as if something made a rush;
the depths grew ablaze with pale lambent cold fire, and Roberts gave
vent to an ejaculation expressive of his delight.

"A shark for a shilling," he cried, "and a big one too. You see if he
doesn't hang about the sloop and show himself in the morning, turning up
his eyes on the lookout for whoever it was that tried to poison him."

"Turning up his eyes!" said Murray. "Nonsense! If it was as you say
the shark would be turning up its white underparts and floating wrong
way up."

"Maybe; but hold hard a minute; it's rather soon to exhibit the other
dose, as old Reston calls it. I'm not going to make an exhibition of
myself, though, this time, so here goes. You see if Jack Shark doesn't
go for the bottle as soon as I throw it overboard. Here goes!"
_Splash_!

"How stupid!" said Roberts. "I ought to have drawn the cork."

"Oh no," said Murray, laughing. "I don't suppose the directions said,
to be taken in water."

"Um--no. But what's to be done? Look; he's got it."

For as the descent of the bottle Roberts had thrown in could be traced
by the way in which the tiny phosphorescent creatures were disturbed,
lower and lower through the deep water, there was another vivid flash
made by some big fish as it gave a tremendous flourish with its tail,
and the midshipman rubbed his hands with delight.

"He's got it, I'm sure," he cried. "But what's to be done? No use to
pitch in a corkscrew."

"Not a bit, Dick," replied Murray cheerily.

"What a pity! I ought to have known better. He's got it, but the glass
will stop the draught from having the proper effect."

"Oh no; perhaps not," said Murray, laughing. "I've read that sharks
have wonderful digestions."

"Well, let's hope this one has. I shall like t