the pepper. Sly old
fox!"

"He has eaten many a poor Jack, that one."

The shark turned slowly on his back, and, instead of grabbing at the
bait, seemed to draw it by gentle suction into that capacious throat,
ready to blow it out in a moment if it was not all right.

The moment the bait was drawn out of sight, Staines completed the
circuit; the bottle exploded with a fury that surprised him and
everybody who saw it; a ton of water flew into the air, and came down in
spray, and a gory carcass floated, belly uppermost, visibly staining the
blue water.

There was a roar of amazement and applause.

The carcass was towed alongside, at Tadcaster's urgent request, and then
the power of the explosion was seen. Confined, first by the bottle, then
by the meat, then by the fish, and lastly by the water, it had exploded
with tenfold power, had blown the brute's head into a million atoms, and
had even torn a great furrow in its carcass, exposing three feet of the
backbone.

Taddy gloated on his enemy, and began to pick up again from that hour.

The wind improved, and, as usual in that latitude, scarcely varied
a point. They had a pleasant time,--private theatricals and other
amusements till they got to latitude 26 deg. S. and longitude 27 deg. W.
Then the trade wind deserted them. Light and variable winds succeeded.

The master complained of the chronometers, and the captain thought it
his duty to verify or correct them; and so shaped his course for the
island of Tristan d'Acunha, then lying a little way out of his course. I
ought, perhaps, to explain to the general reader that the exact position
of this island being long ago established and recorded, it was an
infallible guide to go by in verifying a ship's chronometers.

Next day the glass fell all day, and the captain said he should
double-reef topsails at nightfall, for something was brewing.

The weather, however, was fine, and the ship was sailing very fast,
when, about half an hour before sunset, the mast-head man hailed that
there was a bulk of timber in sight, broad on the weather-bow.

The signalman was sent up, and said it looked like a raft.

The captain, who was on deck, levelled his glass at it, and made it out
a raft, with a sort of rail to it, and the stump of a mast.

He ordered the officer of the watch to keep the ship as close to the
wind as possible. He should like to examine it if he could.

The master represented, respectfully, that it would b