Bunyip Land | Page 9

come on. Knife, knife!"
As Jimmy shouted out these words he raised himself in the water and
curved over like a porpoise, diving right down, and at the same moment
the shark gave a sweep with its tail, the combined disturbance making
so great an eddy that it was impossible to see what took place beneath
the surface. Then all at once there was a horrible discoloration in the
sea, and I drew back, holding on by the bulwarks with both hands to
keep myself from falling. For, as the water grew discoloured, so did the
air seem to glow before my eyes. I was sick and dizzy; the deck seemed
to rise in waves, and a curious kind of singing noise in my ears made
everything sound distant and strange. There was a strange despairing
feeling, too, in my heart, and my breath came thick and short, till I was
brought partly to myself by hearing a voice shouting for a rope, and
then the mist gradually cleared away, and I became aware of the fact
that the boat was moving before me, and that the round, shiny black
face of Jimmy was close at hand.
A few minutes later both Jimmy and the Malay were aboard, the former
throwing himself flat on his back to rest, for he was panting heavily
after his exertions.
"Big bunyip debble, Mass Joe," he sputtered; "swim more stronger
Jimmy, but no got knife. Tick black fellow knife in um lot o' time. Tick
it in him frontums, tick it in ums back ums tight, and make um dibe

down and take Jimmy much long ways."
"Why didn't you leave go of the knife, my man?" said the doctor.
"Leave go dat big noo knife?" cried Jimmy sharply. "Let bunyip fis
have dat noo knife?"
Jimmy did not finish, but shook his head from side to side, so that first
one black ear went into the puddle of water on the deck, then the other,
while his lips parted in a tremendously long grin, which seemed to say,
"Black fellow knows better than to do such a stupid thing as that."
Then, as if made of india-rubber, Jimmy drew his heels in, gave a
spring, and leaped to his feet, running to the side, and then throwing up
his arms with delight.
"Dere um is, Mass Joe; turn up him under frontums like fis on hook an'
line."
For there was the monster making an effort to keep in its normal
position, as it swam slowly round and round, but always rolling back,
and rising helplessly every time it tried to dive.
"Jimmy sorry for you," cried the black. "Plenty good to eat like much
muttons. Go down boat bring him board."
"Well, I don't know about good meat, blackee, but we may as well have
his head to boil out his jaws," said the captain, who was standing
looking on, whale lance in hand.
"Go down and put him out of his misery, captain," I said, "and take me
too."
"Oh! all right, my lad," he said, laughing. "You may do the job if you
like."
"May I?"
"To be sure," he said; and I jumped down into the boat, after he had

lowered himself, bear fashion, on to one of the thwarts.
"Here, send out one of the sailors," said the doctor. "I'll go too."
One of the men returned to the deck, looking rather glum, and the
doctor took his place, while I sympathised with that sailor and wished
that the doctor had not spoken, for I felt sure that he had come down
into the boat to take care of me, and it made me feel young and
childish.
But I did not show my annoyance, I am glad to say; and a minute later
the men gave way, and the boat glided slowly towards where the shark
had drifted--I all the while standing up in the bows, lance in hand, full
of the desire to make use of it, and feeling a cruel, half savage sensation
that it would be exceedingly pleasant to drive that lance right home.
"Now my water Saint George the Second," cried the doctor banteringly;
"mind you slay the sea-dragon."
"Mind what you're after, youngster," said the captain. "Give it him
close below the gills; a good dig and then draw back sharp."
"All right!" I cried back to the captain, for I was offended by the
doctor's chaff; it made me feel small before the men. Then, recalling
what I had read that a harpooner would do under such circumstances, I
shouted: "Give way, boys!"
I'd have given something to have been back on board the schooner just
then, for a roar of laughter greeted my command, and I felt that I was
very young,