atch a shark again in your life."

"As long as a shark never catches me, I won't kick," said the
philosophical Bill.

They threw themselves down on the beach, panting and perspiring. The day
was very warm, and the excitement of the catch, together with their
recent efforts, made the rest a needed and grateful one.

"Well," said Lester, the first to get on his feet again, "while you
weary Willies are loafing here, I'm going up to Mark's cabin and see if
he's at home. The chances are that he isn't, or he'd have been out to
see what all this fuss was about. Still, he may be asleep. Anyway,
whether he's home or not, I want to scare up an axe or hatchet or
something of the kind to dig out that harpoon."

"What's the matter with the hatchet we've got?" asked Teddy lazily.

"That's rather small, and, besides, with that only one can work at a
time. It'll take some digging to get through that hide. Then, too, you
fellows were talking of getting out the teeth and strips of the hide for
mementoes, and you can't do that with your pocket knives alone."

"Go on then, you horny-handed son of toil, and luck be with you,"
drawled Bill. "You'll find us here when you get back."

"I'm sure of that," retorted Lester. "It would take an earthquake to
make you fellows move."

Lester went up the beach until he reached the open door of the cabin and
looked in. He found it deserted as he had expected. He went in and
hunted about among its meagre belongings and came back to the boys,
triumphant, bringing with him a hatchet, an axe and a large, keen-bladed
knife that was used by Mark in cleaning his fish.

"Here they are!" he exclaimed, as he laid them down on the sand. "Mark
wasn't at home, so I made free with these things of his, as I knew he
wouldn't mind. There's no further excuse for you hoboes now, and you
want to get a wiggle on."

"Take back them cruel woids," groaned Teddy.

"Listen to the chant of the slave driver!" jibed Bill.

"There's nothing left but to obey, shipmates," said Fred with mock
resignation. "Remember he's the captain and we don't want to be tried
for mutiny."

They distributed the implements among them and moved in a body toward
the shark.

The first thing to do was to get out the harpoon, and this was no easy
task, for the barb of the shank lay deeply imbedded among the tough
fibres of its victim. The implement was freed at last, however, and
Lester carefully washed it off in the water and then polished