about the place dozens of
times. Once, in particular, he was here in a schooner, hand-lining. It
was almost calm, just a light east wind blowing, when they anchored an
eighth of a mile to weather of the shoal. Pretty soon the decks were
alive with fish. It kept breezing on all the time, and the ledge broke
higher and higher; but they were having such good luck they hated to
leave. So they hung to it till it got too rough for a small boat, and
the breaker was twenty or thirty feet high. There was a big cod or
haddock on every line, when all of a sudden the cable parted and they
began to blow down on the ledge. It took some lively work to save the
schooner and themselves. They got sail on her just in time to skin by
the end of the breaker. Uncle Tom's been out in some pretty bad storms,
but he's always said the time he parted his cable on Cashe's was the
closest shave he ever had. See that shark!"

Ten yards off, just under the surface, appeared the glittering outlines
of a great fish. It moved leisurely, its projecting fin making a silver
ripple.

"Twelve feet, if he's an inch! I'd hate to fall overboard while he's
around."

"Think he's a man-eater?"

"Don't know! But I'd rather let somebody else find out. There's another!
I've heard fishermen say the sea round here's alive with 'em. I haven't
a doubt but those two fellows that chased us to-day are somewhere about.
Once they get after a boat, they'll follow it till the cows come home.
Guess I'll let Ole Bull give us a few notes!"

He pulled his handkerchief out of the intake tube. Presently the voice
of the whistle was echoing across the sea. After a half-dozen screeches
Spurling stopped up the tube again.

"That'll do for now! We'll give him another chance in ten minutes."

Up and down went the buoy, pitching and reeling dizzily. An occasional
wave-crest buried the boys to the waist.

"No place for a man with a weak stomach, hey, Perce," said Spurling.
"You couldn't have stood this two months ago."

Percy was gazing intently southward.

"What's that white spot?" he asked, suddenly, pointing to a glittering
patch fifty or sixty yards square.

"School of herring! Now look out for some fun! Something's liable to be
after 'em any minute."

Hardly had the words left Jim's mouth when a great white streak moved
rapidly toward the schooling fish.

"Whale!" shouted Spurling, excitedly. "Watch out!"

With a tremendous rush the huge, gleaming body shot suddenly