In the meantime, on the foredeck, to which the body of the great shark had been hoisted by slings, the members of the crew, who understood such operations, assisted by Muldoon, were cutting up the monster. From time to time they flung useless bits of offal over the side. A scramble from such of the sharks as had disposed of the dead bodies of their companions instantly ensued. Sharks are the most rapacious of any creatures on land or sea, and their appetites appeared to have been slacked in no important particular by their cannibal meal.
“Bad luck to yez,” exclaimed Muldoon, shaking his fist at them after one of these rushes, for every sailor hates a shark. “There’s many a thrue lad gone to his long rickonin’ through yez or yez mates. Bad cess to all uv yez, says Tim Muldoon.”
An interested group, among whom were Jack and Billy, watched the proceedings from the bridge. Mr. Jukes was no less interested than the rest. He attentively watched the sharks as they fought. Perhaps their feverish rapacity reminded him of certain “big business” operations at home in the States where great corporations have been not unknown to gobble up their small competitors as hungrily as any tiger shark.
“Hullo, they seem to have found something interesting,” said Jack, as a murmur arose among the butchers who suddenly crowded round Muldoon, chief of the dissectors.
“It’s a bottle,” cried Billy Raynor.
“Look here what I found in the hongry divil’s stomach,” exclaimed Muldoon, holding up his find. “Be jabers, he must hav’ a digestion a dispiptic millionaire would invy to ——”
He stopped short, covered with confusion, as he suddenly recalled that Mr. Jukes suffered from the very complaint he had mentioned.
“Bring that bottle here, Muldoon,” ordered Captain Sparhawk, in order to save what threatened to be an awkward situation, for Mr. Jukes had turned as red as a turkey-cock and the boys had had to turn away to hide their smiles.
The quartermaster hastened aft with the bottle. It was encrusted with deposits apparently caused by the acids of the shark’s stomach. But when Captain Sparhawk held it to the light, he could see that contained within it was some object.
“There’s something inside it,” he said.