race. As soon as
the blow had been administered, the creature rolled over on its back;
and after a fluke or two with its great forked tail, and a tremulous
shivering through its body, it lay floating upon the water motionless as
a log of wood.

William was not so fortunate with his antagonist, though he had
succeeded in keeping it off. Striking wildly out with the handspike in
a horizontal direction, he had poked the butt end of the implement right
between the jaws of the monster, just as it raised its head over the
raft with the mouth wide open.

The shark, seizing the handspike in its treble row of teeth, with one
shake of its head whipped it out of the boy's hands: and then rushing on
through the water, was seen grinding the timber into small fragments,
and swallowing it as if it had been so many crumbs of bread or pieces of
meat.

In a few seconds not a bit of the handspike could be seen,--save some
trifling fragments of the fibrous wood that floated on the surface of
the water; but what gave greater gratification to those who saw them,
was the fact that the shark which had thus made "mince-meat" of the
piece of timber was itself no longer to be seen.

Whether because it had satisfied the cravings of its appetite by that
wooden banquet, or whether it had taken the alarm at witnessing the fate
of its companion,--by much the larger of the two,--was a question of
slight importance either to Ben Brace or to William. For whatever
reason, and under any circumstances, they were but too well pleased to
be disembarrassed of its hideous presence; and as they came to the
conclusion that it had gone off for good, and saw the other one lying
with its white belly turned upwards upon the surface of the water--
evidently dead as a herring--they could no longer restrain their voices,
but simultaneously raised them in a shout of victory.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

A LENTEN DINNER.

The shark struck upon the snout, though killed by the blow, continued to
float near the surface of the water its fins still in motion as if in
the act of swimming.

One unacquainted with the habits of these sea-monsters might have
supposed that it still lived, and might yet contrive to escape. Not so
the sailor, Ben Brace. Many score of its kind had Ben coaxed to take a
bait, and afterwards helped to haul over the gangway of a ship and cut
to pieces upon the deck; and Ben knew as much about the habits of these
voracious creatures as any sailor t