“Oh! Ouch!” cried Ned. “It’s pulling my arm off!”
Indeed this seemed likely to happen, for the line was very strong, and the lad had tied it securely about his wrist. It could not slip over his hand, and the fish on the other end was tugging away for dear life. Doubtless it would have been glad enough to escape, but it was fairly caught, for as they afterward found, it had swallowed Ned’s bait, hook and all.
“Let go!” yelled Ned to Bart, who was clinging to his waist.
“If I do you’ll go overboard!” replied Bart. He felt his chum slipping from his grasp. “Give me a hand here!” Bart called to Fenn and Frank.
They jumped to his aid, while Mr. Ackerman, in an excess of nervous fright, ran up and down the deck shouting:
“Captain! Captain Wiggs! Stop the ship! A shark has got hold of one of the boys!”
“What’s that? What’s the trouble?” asked the commander, hurrying up from the cabin.
“A shark has got Ned!” repeated the invalid.
“Shark? In Lake Huron?” replied the commander. “You’re crazy!”
“Guess it must be a whale, by the way it pulls,” said Bart.