“Dat Finn!” exclaimed Sam. “Where dat Finn?”
“Not the one you mean,” said Fred, smiling in spite of his evident excitement. “I mean the fin of a fish.”
“I see it,” cried John suddenly. “What is it?”
“What is it,” repeated Fred. “Don’t you know?”
“A shark?”
“Of course it is,” said Fred. “It must be a whopper, too.”
Every one else saw the fin now and involuntarily a shiver passed over most of those on the little boat. The great black fin sailed easily and steadily along, just cutting the top of the water. Gruesome and forbidding it looked and straightway recalled to the minds of the four boys the stories they had so often heard of the hordes of man-eating sharks that infested the waters of the West Indies.
“There’s another,” cried Grant suddenly.
Sure enough another fin joined the first and one ahead of the other the sharks cruised around the waters near the life-boat.
“Zowie!” exclaimed George. “I guess I’m glad I’m not in the water just now.”