s, levelling my glass, rather inconveniently, on the
fore side of the topmast, to clear the topsail, and presently I caught
it again.

Yes, there it was, sure enough, about three miles dead to leeward; and
what was more, I could not only see the flag, but also the buoy, and Bob
in it. He seemed to be waving his arms about in a most frantic manner,
and making a tremendous splashing, doubtless, I thought, with the view
of making his position more apparent, as, of course, he could see the
cutter, and knew I must be looking for him.

I slipped down on deck, quick as lightning, triced up the main tack just
high enough to enable me to see under the foot of the sail, and squared
dead away before the wind.

Ten minutes afterwards I caught a glimpse of the flag right ahead, as
the boat rose on a sea; and then I edged away, taking room to run up
alongside him on the port tack with my head-sheets to windward. I could
now see Bob away on the port bow, every time the _Lily_ rose on the top
of a wave, and he was still, to my great surprise, splashing away
furiously; and now I caught the sound of his voice, shouting.

"Surely," thought I, "the poor fellow has not become insane through the
dreadful strain to which his nerves have been subjected!"

A minute later the cause of his strange behaviour became apparent.

A dark object of triangular shape appeared, moving in narrow circles
round the spot where poor Bob was floating, disappearing at frequent
intervals, and then the splashing became more frantically vigorous than
ever. It was a shark that was thus blockading Bob, and the splashing
was resorted to, to frighten the creature from attacking him.

I carefully measured my distance, and exactly at the right moment jammed
my helm hard down, hauling in the main-sheet as I did so.

The _Lily_ shot into the wind, just clearing the buoy by a hair's-
breadth. I sprang to the rigging, stooped down, and seized Bob's
extended hand with mine as he came alongside, and then, exerting all the
strength I could command, I fairly jerked him out of the water upon
deck, just as the shark had apparently made up his mind to be no longer
denied.

With such impetuosity did he make his rush, that his snout rose a good
two feet fairly above our gunwale; and had not the impetus with which I
jerked Bob out of the water been sufficient to fetch him clear inboard,
the shark would have had him after all. As it was, we got a _glance_
into his open ja