Mark passed it along; and as he did so the shark glided round the stern, and came along the other side.
“You don’t think he’ll attack us, do you?” said the captain.
“There’s no knowing what a jack-shark will do,” said the mate, quietly cocking both barrels, and making the muzzle of the gun follow the movements of the great fish, whose elongated form was perfectly plain now in the clear water as he slowly glided on. The long unequally-lobed tail waved softly to and fro like a peculiarly-formed paddle, and the motion of the fish seemed to be peculiarly effortless as he went on right past the gig, and continued his course a dozen yards ahead.
“Off!” said the captain laconically; but as he spoke the shark turned, and the fin came toward them again, always at the same distance above the water, and again on their starboard side, by which it glided, went astern, and turned, to come back once more.
“Hadn’t we two better pull, sir?” said Billy. “He means mischief, that he do.”
“Think he’ll attack?” said the captain again.
“I’m beginning to think he will,” said Mr Gregory.
He had hardly spoken when the shark turned, and there was an eddying swirl in the water where his tail gave a vigorous stroke or two, and almost simultaneously a long glistening cruel-looking head rose out of the water.
The monkey uttered a shriek, and would have leaped overboard in his fright, but for Billy Widgeon’s restraining hand, when the poor little animal took refuge beneath his legs, while Bruff set up a furious bark, his hair ruffling up about his neck, and his eyes glistening with anger.
But shriek or yell had no influence upon the hungry shark, which seemed to glide like a glistening curve or arch of shark right over the bows of the boat, striking her side in the descent as the fish passed into the sea again; but so heavy was the blow, and so great the creature’s weight, that the gig was extremely near being capsized.