The Two Middies; or, a Fearful Encounter with a Shark.

My young readers will recollect, that in my last volume I afforded them some curious particulars regarding the “shark family;” I am now about to relate to them a story“ concerning one, which I know to be true. It was the year, 1835, that the fine Indiaman, the ”Rajah,“ had crossed the line, and stood on her way to Madras. There were, on board of her, two brothers, named Palgrave; one had the baptismal designation of ”Edwin,“ and the other’s name was ”Arthur.“ They were twin brothers, and Arthur was only a few minutes older than Edwin.

Both these boys had been brought up together—they had the same nurse, the same tutor, the same education, the same pocket-money. They were the same in appearance, in countenance, in stature, and so like that one was often mistaken for the other.

They were, however, somewhat different in character and disposition. Edwin was gentle and retiring, Arthur was bold and resolute. Edwin was fond of books and the pen, and of the pencil. Arthur delighted in riding, fishing, shooting, and boating. Arthur wished to go to sea. Edwin wanted to be a clergyman.

At last the time came for each to make a choice of a profession. Arthur was determined to be a sailor, and his father took the requisite means to get him entered as a “middy” on board the “Rajah,” and everything was soon settled, and the little boy appeared, dressed in his “uniform,” to the great joy of all his brothers and sisters, except Edwin, who looked upon it as a sign that he was now to lose the society of his beloved brother for a long time—perhaps for ever.

This was more than he could endure, and he therefore implored his father, with tears in his eyes, to get him a “berth” in the same ship, and offered to give up his idea of becoming a clergyman, and to share all the perils of the deep, that he might not lose the companionship of his brother.

I need not say how pure and holy fraternal affection is; nor how pleasing it is in the sight of Him who would have all men to be Brothers. But I may say, that the love that existed between Edwin and Arthur has never been excelled in my experience.

The ship “Rajah” pursued her way with a fair wind and a calm sea, and as she neared the point of her destination the weather became hotter and hotter. At last, the Indiaman lay becalmed, the sun darting down its heat so furiously as to make the boards of the deck shrink and crack. All the passengers were in a “melting mood,” and the crew of the ship in little better than a fry. The sun was indeed so hot that you might almost cook a beef-steak on the flat of the locker.

The most rational thing to do—when a person is hot—is to devise some means of getting one’s-self cool. And among the various devices commonly practised to produce this effect, that of bathing is said to be a very good one.

Many, therefore were the “bathers” that dropped over the ship’s sides to take a “salt-water cure” for heat, and among the bathers was Edwin. A sail had been let down with a large “bulge” in it from the main and mizen-yard, and on this, which had about the depth of six feet of water in its lowest part, the young middies and some of the passengers found a very pleasant bath.

Several persons had taken their ablutions and came on deck again. But Edwin lingered about in company with another middy, amusing himself with various frolics in the water, when all at once the head of an enormous shark appeared for a moment at the margin of the extended sail. The monster turned up its mouth, shewed its treble row of saw-like teeth, and descended rapidly. Both the youths gave a fearful shriek, and the one nearest to the ship’s-side laid hold of a “dangling rope,” and leaped into the vessel. Not so with Edwin. This poor youth seemed suddenly paralyzed with fear. In a few seconds the shark appeared again, and, making a lurch, threw himself over one part of the sail, and nearly swept the unfortunate Edwin into the sea. The enormous weight of the creature so slackened the ropes that held the sail on one side that it tilted, and left Edwin clinging to the other side in great terror, not knowing what would come next.

Arthur was a witness of this dreadful state of things, and Edwin instinctively uttered his brother’s name. In a moment, with his dirk-knife unsheathed in his hand, Arthur was by the side of Edwin. The soft swell of the sea gave a lurch to the ship, and, as the sail dipped deeper into the sea, the horrid creature made a movement towards the lads, turned his mouth upwards, and gave a snap—and so close was his monstrous jaw to the boys, that the rope to which they clung was cut in two, and the monster darted down with a mouthful of sail and rope in his capacious jaws.

The sailors on board were endeavouring, with all their might, to haul the boys into the ship; but before this could be done the shark made another plunge above the edge of the sail, close to Edwin, who instinctively threw himself more into the water at this moment. Arthur made a spring—buried his long knife up to the hilt, close to the animal’s jaw, and, quickly withdrawing it, gave him a like “dig” in his throat, and the blood gushed out, making the sea and sail quite red. “Bravo—bravo!” said the sailors on board, “give it him again, middy.” Before, however, Arthur had the opportunity of so doing the shark drew off, and was seen savagely frisking about at a few yards from the side. Shortly after he made another attempt, and Arthur made a bold lurch at him; but, in doing this, he over-reached himself and fell into the sea. In an instant the shark turned upon him, but while it was in the act of throwing up its teeth, Arthur dexterously dived, and, rising beneath the monster, sent his knife into its most vital part.

Feeling the wound, the creature twisted downwards, while Arthur rose to the surface—one mass of blood. The shark rose, too, but evidently weaker, and before he could make another attack Arthur dealt another blow at him, amid the cheers of the spectators. The shark endeavoured to dive but was unable: made two or three convulsive twistings, and then turned and floated, belly upwards.

As soon as the shark gave signs of being among the defunct, Arthur sprang to his brother, and clasping him affectionately round the neck, held on by the remnant of the sail till both were drawn on board, amid the plaudits of the crew and passengers.

Such, young friends, is the story of the Shark and the Middies; and I hope you will be so far instructed by it as to be ready, at all times, to venture your life to save that of a brother. You may not be called upon to do it by fighting with sharks of the sea; but there are “land sharks” worse than sea sharks, in the various business matters of this world, which it may be necessary for you to combat to save a brother’s life, or, what is equally precious, his integrity or his honour.

Transcriber’s notes:

In the text version, italics are represented by _underscores_, and bold and black letter text by =equals= symbols.

This book contains a considerable number of unusual and inconsistent spellings.
In some cases, research indicates that a spelling that appears incorrect in current times, was in use at the time that this book was printed, however a good number are probably typesetting errors or originate with the authors.
In the majority of cases, spelling has been left as printed but a small number of errors which obscure the meaning for the reader have been corrected. Both uncorrected and corrected spellings are noted below.

Some incorrect puntuation has been silently corrected

Page
p7 exhilirating — left as printed.
p8 despatches — more common than dispatches pre 1900.
p9 pecularity — left as printed.
p9 jackall — occurs occasionally in this era.
p20 comsumptive — left as printed.
p21 our — corrected to cur.
p21 summersault — Both this and somersault were in use in 1850s.
p26 discernable — left as printed.
p33 massacreing — occurs occasionally in this era.
p37 cupfull —left as printed.
p38 titilation — occurs equally with titillation in this era
p38 wont — corrected
p39 undulterated — left as printed.
p39 St. Columb — St. Columba used elsewhere — left as printed.
p40 hostlery — left as printed.
p53 chesnuts — chesnut may be correct, it appears to be used in this era.
p57 Mahommedans — occurs occasionally in this era.
p58 p145
p239 p245		 ancles — occurs occasionally in this era.
p59 gipsies — a more common alternative in this era.
p62 througout — left as printed.
p62 spiritural — left as printed.
p63 immates — left as printed.
p63 superintendance — left as printed.
p67 sumptous — left as printed.
p68 effctually — left as printed.
p71 Mediteranean — left as printed.
p77 distinquishes — left as printed.
p82 sumptousness — left as printed.
p84 entrused — left as printed.
p85 suprised — left as printed.
p85 commision — left as printed.
p86 powerful — corrected, there is space at end which probably held it.
p88 to night — should be to-night for consistency - left as printed.
p92 Moscow to St. Petersburg — Petersburgh elsewhere but left as printed.
p99 embarassing — left as printed.
p106 Ballinm — left as printed.
p107 Govenor — left as printed.
p107 Castellain — left as printed.
p112 trowsers — this spelling reasonably common in this era.
p117 vallies — left as printed.
p123 confectionary — this spelling reasonably common in this era.
p137 portentious — left as printed.
p143 Pharoahs — left as printed.
p144 Shakspeare — left as printed.
p145 Pharoahs — left as printed.
p149 bitumenous — left as printed.
p150 diminsions — left as printed.
p152 blithsome — this spelling occurs occasionally in this era.
p164 one o — corrected to one of.
p175 exhilirating — left as printed.
p189 materiel — left as printed.
p222 accellerates — left as printed.
p222 fushion — left as printed.
p222 homogenous — left as printed.
p237 notions — corrected to motions.
p238 shaped liked a fish — corrected to like.
p257 eutreaty — corrected to entreaty.