"I never bet," Mr. Lakewood smiled. "But I'll be surprised if he doesn't run over twenty-five."
"What kind of a shark is it?" Bob asked.
"White shark, I should say," Josh told him.
"Are they the ugly kind?" Jack asked.
"They are that. They're man eaters. Isn't that so, Josh?" Mr. Lakewood asked, turning to the mate.
"Wal, if they're full grown they're kinder unpleasant, so ter speak," the Yankee, with a slight sneer in his voice, acknowledged.
"Suppose you try to wind him in again, Jack," Mr. Lakewood suggested. "I'll go get my rifle. We want to be sure he's dead before he comes aboard. But look out he doesn't yank that handle out of your hand and break a wrist."
Jack began to turn the handle of the reel but the line came in with difficulty and he had about all he could do to regain any of it. Once again the fish made a sudden dash and the reel whirred as the line ran out. The boy let it run till the reel was again bare and then began to wind in again. By this time several of the crew were gathered in the stern watching the fight, among them Captain Ole.
"You got quite a minnie," he smiled as the fish again leaped clear of the water.
"I'll say he is," Jack puffed, turning the handle with all his strength.