termined to dine upon them, _coute qui coute_.

With this intent he drew nearer to the _Catamaran_ swooping from quarter
to quarter, then along the sides, and once or twice darting ahead, so as
to create in the shoal a degree of excitement that might force them into
irregularity of action.

This very effect he at length succeeded in producing; for the pretty
creatures became more frightened than ever; and instead of swimming, as
hitherto, in concert, and parallel to each other as they had been doing,
they got huddled into a crowd, and commenced darting, pell-mell, in
every direction.

In the midst of their confusion a large band became separated,--not only
from the others, but from the _Catamaran_,--and fell several fathoms'
length into the wake of the craft.

Upon these the hungry eyes of the prowling monster were now fixed; but
only for a moment: for in the next he was charging down among them with
a velocity that caused the water to spray upwards against his dorsal
fin, while the rushing sound made by his body could be heard afar off
over the ocean, "Look, Will'm!" cried Ben, anxious that his _protege_
should not miss seeing the curious spectacle. "Look, lad! yonder's a
sight worth seein'. Shiver my timbers, if he han't got a brace o' 'em
on his toastin' fork!"

While Ben was speaking, the sword-fish had charged into the middle of
the frightened flock. There was a momentary plashing,--as several of
the albacores leaped up out of the water and fell back again,--there was
a surging and bubbling over a few yards of surface, which hindered a
clearer view of what was passing; and then outside reappeared the
sword-fish, with his long weapon projected above the water, and a brace
of the beautiful albacores impaled upon its point!

The wretched creatures were struggling to free themselves from their
painful position; but their struggles were not for long. They were
terminated almost on the instant,--by the sword-fish giving a quick jerk
of his head, and tossing, first one and then the other of his victims
high into the air!

As they came down again, it was to fall, not upon the water, but into
the throat of the voracious tyrant; who, although toothless and without
any means of masticating, made shorter work of it by introducing them
_untoothed_, and at a single gulp, into his capacious maw!

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN.

ANGLING FOR ALBACORE.

After a while the crew of the _Catamaran_ watched the manoeuvres of th