r clothing,
and to clutch hold of spars to support themselves; but they had another
danger, from the seaman's remorseless enemy, to contend with. We now
guessed why the sharks had been accompanying us; or could they have
scented the dead body of the pirate chief, which we had still on board?
Why the captain had not buried him I do not know.

Scarcely had we leaped into the boat, when the terrific shrieks of the
struggling pirates reminded us of what we had seen. In an instant the
monsters were at them, and one after the other, with fearful rapidity,
they were dragged from the supports to which they clung, their bodies
mangled, and limbs torn asunder. We got out our oars as quickly as
possible, and pulled back, endeavouring to save some; but before we
could reach the nearest man a shark had seized him, and we could see his
arms helplessly stretched out, as he was dragged down through the clear
waters. On we pulled towards another, but he likewise was carried off
after he had already seized the boatswain's oar, and thought himself
safe. A third cried out to us piteously to come and save him. We
pulled towards him with all our might; but fast as we flew through the
water, two huge sharks went faster, and before we could reach him he was
their prey, literally torn in sunder between them. He was the last who
yet floated; the others had gone down at once, or had been torn to
pieces with all their wealth about them. While we were looking round,
an object rose to the surface.

"What means that?" exclaimed our captain with an expression of horror
and alarm such as I did not believe his countenance capable of wearing.

It was the body of the old pirate: his face was turned towards us, and
one of his arms moved as if beckoning us to follow him!

"No, no--you do not want me! I have visited you once at your summons!
I'll no longer obey you!" shouted our captain with a hoarse voice,
staring wildly; then he sank down into the stern-sheets overcome with
his emotions.

For a minute, fancying that the old pirate was alive, we pulled towards
him; then we remembered that he had been placed in a rough coffin of
thick light wood, the lid of which had not been secured. Some nails,
probably, had caught the clothes and kept the body in. When the vessel
sunk the coffin had floated through the hatchway, the lid being knocked
off; and thus the old man was once more presented to our view.

The monsters who had so speedily disposed