only two oars going. When the sun
rose the next morning it shone on the same polished surface as on the
previous day.

"Not an air in the heavens," said Jerry, in answer to Tom's inquiries,
as he rose from his sleeping-place in the stern sheets; "and, to my
mind, there won't be."

"We must have patience," said Tom, preparing to take a morning bath by
jumping overboard.

"Be careful, sir, and look out for sharks," observed Jerry. "I would
not, if I were you, go far from the boat."

"I will follow your advice. Keep the oars splashing, and that will
frighten them off, if any are near," said Tom.

Plunging in, the midshipmen swam round and round the boat several times.
Billy jumped overboard, but being of opinion that he was likely to
prove a tempting morsel to Jack Shark, very quickly begged Jerry to help
him on board again. The midshipmen having dressed themselves, the men
imitated their example. They were splashing about round the beat, when
Pat shouted out--

"Bear a hand; get on board, mates. I caught sight of the fin of a big
fellow not twenty fathoms off; he'll be after trying the taste of our
legs, if we don't look sharp."

The midshipmen stood ready to help in the men, for they also had seen
the ominous black fin. Jerry, who had an especial dread of sharks,
quickly threw himself over the gunwale, with the assistance of Tom,
while Desmond and Billy helped up Tim. Pat, who was farthest out,
caught hold of the bobstay and was hoisting himself on board by the
jibboom, when a cry of dismay escaped him.

"He nearly had me, the baste; for I felt his jaws touch my foot."

That this was not imagination was proved by the blood running from Pat's
heel, where the lips, though fortunately not the teeth of the monster,
had struck him. A second later, and Pat's foot would have been off to a
certainty. The shark was directly afterwards seen swimming alongside
the boat and casting a malicious leer at those on board.

"It will be a lesson to us in future not to swim away from the side,"
observed Tom.

"It will be a lesson for me not to go overboard at all," said Billy.
"_I've_ no fancy to become food for a shark."

Another night passed. Tom found at noon the next day that, instead of
thirty, they had not made good twenty miles. The fact was that at times
they were not rowing at all; at others only two oars were going, when
not more than one mile an hour was made, and even when four were rowing,
they had t