appened. He tried again, but with the same result.

Then, as he realized that he was hooked, the fury of the shark became
frightful. He sprang out of the water, lashing the waves into foam. The
mast creaked and strained, and the counter of the _Ariel_ was
pulled down until the water rushed over the side.

"Get up the sail," shouted Lester, rushing to the tiller. "He'll capsize
us if we don't."

Teddy and Bill sprang to help Fred, and the sail was quickly hoisted.
The wind caught it at once, and as the breeze was a stiff one, it
swelled out the sail to the fullest extent, and with this added
resistance against the struggles of the shark, the _Ariel_ was soon
on an even keel.

"There!" exclaimed Lester, with a sigh of relief, "now we can hold our
own. I thought for a minute that we were going over. And just now I
wouldn't want to get too close to that pirate. Something seems to have
ruffled his temper."

The rage of the shark was beyond belief. At first he tried to disgorge
the hook. But it had a secure grip and his efforts only served to
exhaust him. Then he snapped furiously at the chain with his mighty
jaws.

"Do you think he can break it?" asked Bill anxiously.

"Not on your life," answered Lester serenely. "If it were rope, he'd
snap it as though it were thread. But even the jaws of a shark can't
bite through a three-inch iron chain."

The shark darted here and there, trying by sudden jerks to break the
chain. But it held fast despite his tremendous efforts. Then he changed
his tactics and hurled himself against the _Ariel_ with a force
that made the timbers shiver.

"Do you think he can start a leak?" asked Fred, as the deck shook under
him.

"I hope not," answered Lester, "but he might. The _Ariel_ is a
mighty stout boat, but she wasn't built to stand the rushes of a crazy
shark."

"What about giving him a clip with the hatchet the next time he comes
close enough?" suggested Fred.

"Suppose you try it," was the answer. "Get a tight grip on the rail and
bend away over. Then the next time he hits the boat, hit him on the
nose. If you catch him right it will stun him, and then I can finish him
with the harpoon."

Fred grasped the hatchet and disposed himself to take advantage of the
next rush. He gripped the rail with his left hand, while Bill and Teddy
held his legs tightly.

"If you go over, we go over with you," Teddy assured him.

"The shark would have a square meal then for fair," laughed Fre