with great interest the antics of these strange humans. Then another shark moved in. Hal felt that he and his companions were becoming too popular.
Dr Dan came slowly walking towards Hal. He stopped and cupped his hand behind his ear as if he were listening. A dreamy smile lay on his face. It is common for one suffering from rapture of the depths to think that he hears lovely music, a great orchestra, or a heavenly choir.
Dr Dan raised his eyes and saw the sharks. They appeared to interest him but he did not seem to realize what they were. He swam up towards them and Hal was not quick enough to stop him.
The doctor came close under the bigger shark. Then with all his force he punched its white belly.
If he had done this to a tiger shark or a white shark he would not have lived to regret it Luckily this was a sand shark and although he was huge he was also a bit timid. He contented himself with switching his tail and swimming off.
The swing of the big tail caught the doctor on the side of the head, knocked off his mask and dislodged the air intake from his mouth. He began to sink slowly like a limp rag. Evidently the blow had knocked him unconscious. Without air, he would very quickly drown. Blood trickled from his forehead.
Hal and Roger already had him in their grip and were forcing him up towards the surface.
The other shark came nearer, attracted by the smell of blood. Hal could see it more clearly now and realized with a shock that this one was no sand shark. It was a mako, often called the man-eater because it does not hesitate to attack divers. Hal and Roger thrashed the water in a vain attempt to
frighten it away. At last they broke the surface and looked about for the ship. It lay a good five hundred yards distant. They could easily lose a leg or two to the mako if they tried to swim that far.
Hal dropped the intake from his mouth and shouted. The quick ear of Omo heard him and the Polynesian boy came running to the forepeak.
‘Bring the boat,’ shouted Hal. ‘Shark!’
Omo flung off the painter of the boat that lay on the water alongside the ship, jumped in and rowed with all his might. Hal and Roger faced the shark and beat the water with the palms of their hands. They knew it was hard to scare a man-eater, but they could only try.
The shark edged closer. Its ugly face appeared above the surface, then sank again. The boys shouted and slapped and were glad that Omo’s arms were strong.
The small boat came zipping over the water with the speed of a flying-fish. It seemed to worry the man-eater, and he hesitated to strike. He had just about made up his mind to it when the boat arrived and stopped with a savage back-churning of the oars.
‘What happened to Dr Dan?’ cried Omo as he hauled the limp form of the doctor into the boat. The others climbed in and they set out for the ship.
‘He went drunk,’ said Hal. ‘Then he lost his air.’
In a few moments the doctor was on the ship’s deck and was being manipulated to get the sea water out of him. After this was done, he lay unconscious for a good five minutes.
‘He’ll come out of it,’ Hal said. ‘His pulse is all right.’
At last the doctor’s eyes fluttered open and he looked lazily about. He pressed his hand against his temple. So he lay for several minutes, resting. Then he smiled at Hal, a rather bitter smile.
‘Well, my boy, you see I didn’t get the bends after all.’
The bends?’ said Hal. ‘I said you might get drunkenness of the deeps.’
‘Oh, is that something different?’
‘Quite different.’
‘Very well, then, I didn’t get your drunkenness of the deeps.’
Evidently the doctor remembered nothing of what had happened during the last dreadful half hour.
‘That was an interesting village,’ he said. So he did remember the village.
‘And an interesting shark,’ put in Roger.
Dr Dan looked up at him inquiringly. ‘There were no sharks, Roger. Perhaps you mistook some shadows for sharks.’
‘There
Dr Dan came slowly walking towards Hal. He stopped and cupped his hand behind his ear as if he were listening. A dreamy smile lay on his face. It is common for one suffering from rapture of the depths to think that he hears lovely music, a great orchestra, or a heavenly choir.
Dr Dan raised his eyes and saw the sharks. They appeared to interest him but he did not seem to realize what they were. He swam up towards them and Hal was not quick enough to stop him.
The doctor came close under the bigger shark. Then with all his force he punched its white belly.
If he had done this to a tiger shark or a white shark he would not have lived to regret it Luckily this was a sand shark and although he was huge he was also a bit timid. He contented himself with switching his tail and swimming off.
The swing of the big tail caught the doctor on the side of the head, knocked off his mask and dislodged the air intake from his mouth. He began to sink slowly like a limp rag. Evidently the blow had knocked him unconscious. Without air, he would very quickly drown. Blood trickled from his forehead.
Hal and Roger already had him in their grip and were forcing him up towards the surface.
The other shark came nearer, attracted by the smell of blood. Hal could see it more clearly now and realized with a shock that this one was no sand shark. It was a mako, often called the man-eater because it does not hesitate to attack divers. Hal and Roger thrashed the water in a vain attempt to
frighten it away. At last they broke the surface and looked about for the ship. It lay a good five hundred yards distant. They could easily lose a leg or two to the mako if they tried to swim that far.
Hal dropped the intake from his mouth and shouted. The quick ear of Omo heard him and the Polynesian boy came running to the forepeak.
‘Bring the boat,’ shouted Hal. ‘Shark!’
Omo flung off the painter of the boat that lay on the water alongside the ship, jumped in and rowed with all his might. Hal and Roger faced the shark and beat the water with the palms of their hands. They knew it was hard to scare a man-eater, but they could only try.
The shark edged closer. Its ugly face appeared above the surface, then sank again. The boys shouted and slapped and were glad that Omo’s arms were strong.
The small boat came zipping over the water with the speed of a flying-fish. It seemed to worry the man-eater, and he hesitated to strike. He had just about made up his mind to it when the boat arrived and stopped with a savage back-churning of the oars.
‘What happened to Dr Dan?’ cried Omo as he hauled the limp form of the doctor into the boat. The others climbed in and they set out for the ship.
‘He went drunk,’ said Hal. ‘Then he lost his air.’
In a few moments the doctor was on the ship’s deck and was being manipulated to get the sea water out of him. After this was done, he lay unconscious for a good five minutes.
‘He’ll come out of it,’ Hal said. ‘His pulse is all right.’
At last the doctor’s eyes fluttered open and he looked lazily about. He pressed his hand against his temple. So he lay for several minutes, resting. Then he smiled at Hal, a rather bitter smile.
‘Well, my boy, you see I didn’t get the bends after all.’
The bends?’ said Hal. ‘I said you might get drunkenness of the deeps.’
‘Oh, is that something different?’
‘Quite different.’
‘Very well, then, I didn’t get your drunkenness of the deeps.’
Evidently the doctor remembered nothing of what had happened during the last dreadful half hour.
‘That was an interesting village,’ he said. So he did remember the village.
‘And an interesting shark,’ put in Roger.
Dr Dan looked up at him inquiringly. ‘There were no sharks, Roger. Perhaps you mistook some shadows for sharks.’
‘There
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