e water was
beginning to flow over it. Half of the animal was now over the side
of the skiff and the boys threw their weight backward expecting to
roll the porpoise into the bottom of the craft. This would have
happened if the porpoise had kept still, which it neglected to do.
With a blow of its tail on the water the animal threw its own body
forward and Ned and Dick found assistance instead of resistance as
they pulled, and promptly went over backward into the water with the
porpoise and the capsized skiff on top of them. When they got to the
surface their captive had escaped, but the power boat was beside
them with three highly edified occupants. After the skiff had been
righted and bailed out and the floating poles, oar, hats, and line
tub gathered in, Ned saw the fin and swaying tail of a shark cutting
the surface of the water near them, and calling on Dick to take the
harpoon, began to pole the skiff toward the tiger of the sea.

"Look out," shouted the captain. "That's a shark. You'll lose your
iron if you strike him."

Th captain spoke too late, for the shark was struck and the skiff
was towed at speed for a hundred feet by the angry fish, which then
turned and rolled up on the taut line till it caught the rope in its
mouth and bit it in two as easily as scissors snip thread.

"Told you so," said the captain. "A shark always bites the line and
often rolls up in it. An alligator always rolls up in it, but can't
bite it. I've had an alligator roll up against a skiff and pretty
near come aboard after I'd harpooned it. There's another harpoon on
the _Irene_, and I'll fix it to-night with a few feet of wire for
the next shark to bite on. I reckon it'll give him a surprise."

Molly was in full command of the power boat for the day, and as
harpooning was over, she ran it at her own sweet will. Sometimes the
captain helped her with a hint when he saw her heading for water
that was too shoal. The course she took was southerly and brought
her near Man-o'-war Bush, from which rose hundreds of man-o'-war
hawks, or frigate pelicans, the most graceful bird on the continent,
excepting the fork-tailed kite. These birds soared high overhead,
circling, rising and falling with scarcely a perceptible motion of
their wings. From another key a flock of roseate spoon-bill, or pink
curlew, flew at the approach of the boat, while young herons sat
fearlessly on branches of trees or spread wings and stretched long
legs as they fled in