with the harpoon, while Ned sculled quietly in the wake of the ugly
fish. Twice the shark heard them and darted away, but on the third
approach Dick drove the iron deep in the back of the brute. The
shark lashed out with its tail, sending the water flying as the
harpoon struck, and then made a straight-away dash for a hundred
yards while the boys rode in triumph behind it. Then the maddened
creature turned, and rolling up on the line, bit it savagely but
vainly.

Again and again the brute dashed away and again and again it turned,
biting at the line and attacking the boat with its teeth. Dick held
the skiff close to the shark, which lifted its head and seized the
gunwale in its huge mouth, when Ned struck the furious creature a
powerful blow on its nose with the axe. For a moment the brute
seemed paralyzed, but soon returned to the attack, when the boy
drove the point of the big gaff through the tough hide of the tiger
of the sea.

Ned held on to the handle of the gaff, although almost dragged
overboard during the first wild struggles of his captive, and then
hauled the head of the brute over the gunwale, where a few blows
with the axe ended the trouble.

When the boys got back to the _Irene_, Ned was happily surprised to
find ready a dainty breakfast which his assistant had graciously
prepared for all hands and which drew from him the unusual praise:

"A girl on a cruise is a mighty nice thing--sometimes."

The day was to be devoted to crocodile hunting and Dick went in the
skiff with the captain, while Molly was put in command of the power
boat with Ned as engineer and Mr. Barstow as passenger.

Several crocodile caves were found, but none of the inhabitants were
at home. One large crocodile showed itself for an instant, but the
river was deep, the overhanging banks offered good hiding places,
and the reptile escaped. It was after they had given the hunt up for
the day and were on their way to the _Irene_ that Dick, who had
stood faithfully at his post in the bow, with his harpoon ready,
threw hastily at something he saw crawling on the bottom and found
on the end of his line a squirming baby crocodile, scarcely four
feet long. The harpoon had barely touched the side of the little
reptile and the barb held by a thread-like bit of skin. When the boy
saw how lightly the iron was held he dropped the line and grabbed
the baby with both hands. His arms were scratched and his clothing
torn by the needle-like teeth