For something had caught the eyes of all at the same moment. To wit, one of the triangular back fins, which had been gliding here and there about the coop on the far side of the boat, was seen to be coming round her bows, and the next thing seemed to be that the monster would detect the position of the midshipman, and then all would be over. In imagination Syd saw the voracious creature gliding rapidly toward Roylance, dive down, turn over showing its white under-parts, and then there was the blood-stained water, the wild shriek, and disappearance. But only in imagination, for as he made an effort all this cleared away from his excited brain, and the midshipman was there still swimming vigorously, and with a slow steady stroke, toward the rock, towing the line. But there was the shark between him and the boat, quite round on his side now.
“Hadn’t you better let go?” said Syd, in a voice he did not know for his own.
“No,” came back rather breathlessly, “there’s plenty of line, Belt. I made the other end fast and—can’t talk now.”
A sudden thought struck Syd.
“I must not say any more,” he said to himself; “a word would frighten him and make him lose his nerve. Here, quick! My lads,” he whispered, “get some big lumps of rock ready to throw down.”
The men scattered, and in less than a minute they were back, and a little heap of stones from the size of a man’s head downwards were ready at the edge of the cliff, where Syd was gazing down fifty feet or so at his friend, who still swam on toward where the sailor was waiting, and in happy ignorance of the nearness of one of the sharks. Syd could see right down into the clear water whenever the disturbance made by the lad’s strokes did not ruffle the surface, and his starting eyes were plunged down into the depths in search of fresh dangers.
“Oh!” he said to himself, “if he only knew how near that savage beast is! Swim, Roy, swim, lad! Why don’t you let go of the rope and save yourself?”
He dare not shout aloud; and though he was high up in safety, he felt once more all the agony of horror and fear which had come over him when he was himself escaping from a shark, and he shuddered as he heard a murmur about him, and the men stood ready each with a great stone.
“Couldn’t no one go and help him with a knife?” whispered one of the men. “Oh! look at that.”
“Hullo! Caught again?” cried Roylance, as the rope jerked.