having hauled in the greater portion of the line, the shark was seen within ten yards of the raft; it still persisted in keeping in the depths; but as the two lads were equally determined that it should come to the surface, they hauled away with such vigor that by degrees the immense creature was secured by a short rope, and it lashed about in the rage of its capture within a few feet of the raft. Ned now prepared a bow-line which he threw over the shark, and slipping it cleverly over the tail, he drew the noose tight, and fastened the line to the stern of the raft.

"Now, Tim, give me a musket," cried Ned, as he tied the knot, "and I'll finish him off.”

In an instant Tim handed the musket, and Ned went to the centre of the raft to obtain as close a shot as possible at the nape of the neck, if we may so describe that portion of a shark where the first vertebra of the spine is connected with the head. Taking a steady shot at a moment when the fish was quiet, Ned fired, and the shark gave a convulsive shudder, and then stiffened like a log of timber, as every muscle strained in the pang of death; the ball had divided the spine at its junction with the brain.

Ned and Tim now surveyed their prize in triumph as it lay by the side of the raft; it was about seventeen feet in length, and so heavy as to be perfectly unmanageable. Tim proposed that they should cut off as much as they required for food, and then let the carcass adrift. Ned did not see the force of the argument: as they had just thrown the beef overboard to lighten the raft, why should they exchange weight for weight? They were thus arguing the question, when an event occurred which relieved them from the difficulty. As Ned looked toward the shore, which appeared much nearer, as a current had taken them closer to the land, he was surprised to see hurrying toward them six canoes, which he had not before observed, as he had been

so busily engaged in the capture of the shark; they were about a mile distant, and there could be no question that the raft was the object of their attention.

Although both Ned and Tim expected assistance upon arrival on the shore, they were somewhat disturbed at the appearance of so many canoes, and they immediately held a council of war. Tim was as brave as a lion, and was ready for a fight should Ned only give the word; but the latter wisely considered that fighting should only be resorted to in the last extremity. They were utterly helpless, unless they could make friends; therefore it was of the first importance that they should establish amicable relations with the natives. Having well considered their position, Ned determined to load all the muskets, and be prepared for a resolute defense should it be necessary; at the same time he cautioned Tim that he should avoid all chances of dispute. The muskets and double-barrelled guns were quickly in order; spare ammunition was arranged so that it would be immediately at hand, and Ned loaded Jem Stevens's handsome pistols, which he at once stuck in his belt.

The canoes approached with great quickness, and with the telescope Ned discovered them to be full of blacks.

"If dey real niggers, Massa Ned, we make 'em frens," exclaimed Tim. "Tim knows de niggers; fill de nigger's belly, make de nigger frens; dat's de trick 'xactly! Tim knows! fill de nigger's belly wid de shark! dat's de trick 'xactly; niggers dance and sing when dey see de big shark." There was much truth in Tim's philosophy.

THE

CHAPTER XIV.

HE canoes, quickly paddled by a number of men, neared the raft, which still lay helplessly becalmed. As the leading boat approached within a hundred yards both Ned and Tim made signs of friendship, and as the latter was as black as themselves, the negroes no longer hesitated to come alongside. Tim now called to them in his own language, which they did not appear to understand, but a small amount of pantomime quickly explained the capture of the shark, and as they caught sight of the huge fish floating in the water, they paddled rapidly to the raft.

Without a moment's hesitation many leaped on board, and, hardly noticing Ned or Tim, they seized upon the shark, and with their sharp lances, which they used as knives, they at once began to separate the flesh from the bones. There was a third party, however, who had no idea of submission to this sudden invasion of the raft; this was Nero, who, having bristled up his back at the rude intrusion, presently fastened his teeth in the naked thigh of a savage who had roughly run against him. In an instant the negroes sprang back to their canoes in fear, as, never having seen a powerful Newfoundland dog, they had no idea that Nero belonged to the race, and they regarded him as a ferocious animal.

At this sudden retreat Tim burst into a roar of laughter, while Nero barked his loudest at the discomfited blacks until he was quieted by Ned. Tim's merriment quickly restored confidence, but not a negro would again venture

upon the raft, and they set to work in earnest upon the shark from their canoes.

In a much shorter time than could be imagined they had divided the flesh into large pieces, which were distributed among the canoes; these were heavily laden: then cutting off the head for the sake of the teeth, which they prized as ornaments, they allowed the bones to sink, and taking the raft in tow, they paddled to the shore in high spirits, singing and chattering in delight at the prey they had unexpectedly gained.

A heavy surf drove upon some reefs that protected the land, but the canoes avoided the danger by passing through an opening which presently led them into still water; this narrow bay ran inland for a considerable distance, and was surrounded upon all sides by dense groves of cocoa-nut palms.

The water was beautifully clear, and as Ned looked over the side he could distinctly see the bottom at a depth of about twenty feet; this was a mass of coral, and the low shore around appeared to be of the same peculiar formation; it had become covered with a poor sandy soil, upon which the cocoa-nut palm invariably thrives.

The canoes towed the raft for about half a mile along this lovely inlet, until, bending to the left, a small village of circular huts was observed close to the water's edge, beneath the shade of the cocoa palms; to this spot the canoes slowly paddled, as the raft was heavy, and they were themselves deeply laden.

A long, shrill, tremulous cry was now raised by a crowd of women who stood upon the bank to welcome them, and as the canoes touched the shore many sprang into the water and assisted to unload them, which they completed with wonderful quickness, and laid the masses of fish upon a row of neat palm mats, which had been immediately pre

L

pared. As the women were naked, with the exception of a small ornament, composed of fringe and cowrie-shells that formed a short apron from the hips, they could move with great activity, and they took to the water and washed themselves like amphibious animals after they had arranged the oily fish upon the mats. They would now have unloaded the raft had not Nero barked angrily as they approached, which sent them hurrying back amid the laughter of the crowd of men, who had been similarly repelled when they first boarded from their canoes.

Ned and Nero, the white boy and the black dog, were now the objects of the women's curiosity. As Nero could protect the raft, that was now moored to a palm-tree close to the shore, Ned jumped on land and took his seat beneath a shady tree, at the same time he made signs to the crowd that they should sit down. At this moment a girl brought him a new mat, neatly woven with the split leaves of palms, upon which he was requested to sit instead of on the bare ground. He now attempted to explain by signs and gestures the shipwreck and their escape. The chief now appeared; he was a gray-headed old man, of a tall and commanding figure. Upon his arrival Ned rose from his seat and offered him his hand, but instead of receiving it according to European custom, he took both his hands and raised them three times above his head as the native form of welcome; he then made a sign that Ned should resume his seat, upon which he also sat down upon a leopard-skin that one of his followers carried for that purpose. Once more Ned was obliged to go through the pantomime that he had already performed, to explain the accident that had befallen them; in this he was assisted by a number of volunteers, who conceived that they had understood the story: accordingly they broke in upon the conversation as interpreters, and concluded by a general chaos of noise and confusion.