orror ran
through the group on the top of the cliff.

For something had caught the eyes of all at the same moment. To wit,
one of the triangular back fins, which had been gliding here and there
about the coop on the far side of the boat, was seen to be coming round
her bows, and the next thing seemed to be that the monster would detect
the position of the midshipman, and then all would be over. In
imagination Syd saw the voracious creature gliding rapidly toward
Roylance, dive down, turn over showing its white under-parts, and then
there was the blood-stained water, the wild shriek, and disappearance.
But only in imagination, for as he made an effort all this cleared away
from his excited brain, and the midshipman was there still swimming
vigorously, and with a slow steady stroke, toward the rock, towing the
line. But there was the shark between him and the boat, quite round on
his side now.

"Hadn't you better let go?" said Syd, in a voice he did not know for his
own.

"No," came back rather breathlessly, "there's plenty of line, Belt. I
made the other end fast and--can't talk now."

A sudden thought struck Syd.

"I must not say any more," he said to himself; "a word would frighten
him and make him lose his nerve. Here, quick! My lads," he whispered,
"get some big lumps of rock ready to throw down."

The men scattered, and in less than a minute they were back, and a
little heap of stones from the size of a man's head downwards were ready
at the edge of the cliff, where Syd was gazing down fifty feet or so at
his friend, who still swam on toward where the sailor was waiting, and
in happy ignorance of the nearness of one of the sharks. Syd could see
right down into the clear water whenever the disturbance made by the
lad's strokes did not ruffle the surface, and his starting eyes were
plunged down into the depths in search of fresh dangers.

"Oh!" he said to himself, "if he only knew how near that savage beast
is! Swim, Roy, swim, lad! Why don't you let go of the rope and save
yourself?"

He dare not shout aloud; and though he was high up in safety, he felt
once more all the agony of horror and fear which had come over him when
he was himself escaping from a shark, and he shuddered as he heard a
murmur about him, and the men stood ready each with a great stone.

"Couldn't no one go and help him with a knife?" whispered one of the
men. "Oh! look at that."

"Hullo! Caught again?" cried Roylance, as