e of wick."

"They are the hyenas of the sea," said Howard, "although I believe some
kinds are stupid and harmless. I think I have heard them called that by
somebody, I don't remember who. They will snap up anything that is
thrown to them."

"Wouldn't it make their eyes water to come this way then? Jis' to think
of their saaing four pair of legs dancing over their hids, not to spake
of the dog that could come in by way of dessart."

"O Tim! keep still, it is too dreadful!"

"Worrah! it wasn't meself that introduced the subject, but as yez have
got started, I've no objection to continue the same."

"Let us try and talk about something more pleasant----"

"A shark! a shark!" suddenly screamed Elwood, springing half his length
out of the water in his excitement.

"Where?" demanded Mr. Yard, while the others were speechless with
terror.

"He has hold of my leg! O, save me, for he is pulling me under!"

There was danger for a moment that all would go to the bottom, but Mr.
Yard displayed a remarkable coolness that saved them all.

"It is not a shark," said he, "or he would have had your leg off before
this."

"What is it then? What can it be?"

"It is a drowning man that has caught your foot as he was going down.
You must kick him off or he will drown you. Has he one foot or both?"

"My left ankle is grasped by something."

"That is good; if he had hold of both feet it would be bad for you. Use
your free foot and force his grasp loose."

Elwood did so with such vigor that he soon had the inexpressible relief
of announcing that the drag weight was loosed and his limbs were free
again.

"That is terrible," said he, as they resumed their progress. "Just to
think of being seized in that way by some poor fellow who, I don't
suppose, really knew what he was doing."

"How came he there?" asked Howard.

"You see, we ain't far from where the steamer sunk, and there may be
more near us. This man has gone down just as we were passing by him, and
in his blind struggles has caught your ankle."

"If a drowning man will catch at a straw, wouldn't he be after catching
at a leg?" inquired Tim.

"It seems natural that he should do so; but we are in the most dangerous
place we could be. Let's keep a sharp lookout."

Our friends peered in every direction, as they rose and sunk on the
long, heaving swell of the sea. They saw pieces of charred wood and
fragments of the wreck, but caught sight of no human being until Mr.