The Hilltop Boys on Lost Island | Page 4

being seasick or of complaining
of the monotony of the voyage.

Jack came to the surface, looked around him, saw young Jesse W. just
coming up and shouting for help while he swam, and then, not far
behind, what had caused him to take the knife with him, the sharp
dorsal fin of a good-sized shark moving rapidly through the water.

CHAPTER II
JACK'S DARING RESCUE
Straight toward the swimming boy swam Jack, rapidly estimating the
distance between them and the distance to be covered by the shark, the
presence of which was not yet known by the younger boy.
He could swim, but he was more or less encumbered by his clothes,
wide bottomed trousers and full shirt, and could not make as good
progress as Jack in any event.
Then, as he was only a little fellow, and probably not accustomed to
swimming very far out of his depth, Jack looked for his strength giving
out at any moment.
"Keep up, J.W., you are doing fine!" he shouted, swimming straight on
with a long, even stroke, which carried him rapidly toward the
struggling boy.
Then some one on the yacht, with more anxiety than good judgment,
shouted out so that all could hear him:
"Look out for the shark, look out!"
The instant that the younger boy heard this, he turned his head and cast
a frightened look behind him, seeing the sharp fin just beginning to turn
over in the water.
"Don't look, Jesse W., don't look, swim straight ahead!" cried Jack,
who had come up with the boy.

Then he dove deep down so as to come up under the shark before he
could turn and rush at the boy so near him.
Down went Jack, and presently began to rise, seeing the white belly of
the man eater just above him.
With a fierce upward thrust of his right arm, which held the knife he
had taken from the cook, he plunged the blade into the creature's vitals,
drawing it downward and toward him, and turning his hand as he drew,
thus making a jagged cut, and fairly laying open the shark's belly.
Young Smith, encouraged by Jack's shout, had darted ahead with his
little remaining strength, not again looking back, and knowing too well
what was about to happen when Jack dove.
As the shark, mortally wounded, floated away, to be eaten by others of
his kind, Jesse W. suddenly became faint and felt himself giving out.
Jack arose in a moment, however, and called out cheerily:
"Hold on a moment, young fellow, and I'll be there. You mustn't give
out yet, because they haven't put about to take us aboard."
The younger boy held out till Jack reached him, but seemed about to go
under again when Jack said quickly:
"Here, get on my back and you won't have to swim. I'll tow you all
right, and you can get rested."
"Did you kill him, Jack?" gasped the younger boy, as he obeyed the
older one's instructions.
"Yes, yes, but never mind about that. Don't look behind you, just look
straight ahead. I don't know that there's anything there anyhow, but it is
always a good plan to look the way you're going to avoid accidents."
"You're a funny fellow, Jack," said the other. "You don't want me to
see the sharks and be frightened."

"That's all right, old man, but there are no sharks at present, and if any
come they will be too busy taking bites out of the other to bother me
for a time. H'm! they are putting about. That's all right."
"You can carry me and swim yourself all right, Jack?" asked Jesse W.
"Maybe I can swim a bit myself now."
"Never you mind about that," said Jack. "You just stay on my back till I
tell you to get off," and the boy swam with a good, steady stroke
toward the approaching yacht, keeping a lookout for sharks, as he knew
they would be sure to appear soon, seeming to scent blood for miles.
Without letting the younger boy know that he was on the lookout he
kept a strict watch on all sides for more of the rapacious creatures, and
at length discovered two making for him in different directions, one of
them suddenly appearing between him and the yacht, which was
rapidly approaching.
"That fellow will be frightened off or perhaps go under the vessel," he
thought, "but the other one is coming on pretty fast. I hope he won't get
to the yacht before me."
The people on the yacht saw the shark between them and Jack, and
Dick Percival seized a gun from the captain, aimed at the creature and
fired, doing no great damage, but causing the voracious monster to rush
off to