CHAPTER XVI
THE BATTLE
When he gained a full and nearer sight of the Pirate Shark, Mart'scourage all but failed him. For a moment the gigantic fish seemed tohang poised in the water above and beyond him, some twenty feet away;what its actual size was Mart could not guess, in the dim and blurredlight, but there could never be another such shark as this in all theoceans!
Huge, cruel-eyed, with its mouth showing as he looked up at it, Martnever forgot the horror that seized him at his first face-to-facemeeting with the Pirate Shark. He thought of a thousand things in thatone moment--the uncanny cunning of the terrible fish in first cuttinghim off from all help by biting through his lines, poor Bob waiting upabove in agonies of suspense, and above all, the awful fact that unlesshe conquered quickly, he would suffocate.
Still the shark hung poised above him, the immense body motionlessexcept for the gently-waving fins and tail. The big dorsal fin washidden from him, so he could not see whether it had been pierced by thebullet or not. But he must act, and act quickly! What should he do?
In order to get at the monster shark with the kris, he would have toexpose himself. If the brute was cunning enough to cut his lines, hewould be too wise to attempt an attack while Mart stood in thewedge-shaped opening of the wreck. There, he could not reach the boy,and would realize it.
Mart wasted no time in hesitation. He was running a terrible risk, foronce the shark butted into him or struck him with its tail, he would beflung off his balance and would be lost. But remembering his greatlightness in the water, remembering how easily he could leap out ofdanger, he stepped forward confidently from his shelter, the kris heldready.
No sooner had he done so than the shark began to move. Gradually, with aterrible slowness, the huge shape came forward; the impulse to leap backto shelter was horribly strong, but Mart resisted it.
Around circled the shark, exposing its full length. Mart trembled at thesight, for it seemed to him that the brute must be far longer than thethirty feet which Jerry had assigned as its size. It stretched outquivering in the depths, ghostly, ominous; and most terrible of all wasthe silence that prevailed over all things. Mart wanted to shout, toyell for aid, and could not.
Almost without warning, the great bulk swept around and came at him,twisting about so that the gaping mouth could nip him as it swept past.But Mart was ready; every nerve and muscle in his body was tensed up tothe highest pitch, and as the shark lunged forward, he swerved sharplyback to his shelter.
None too soon, indeed. The gray bulk swept down on him in a great swirlthat almost flung him off his feet; as he reeled, catching at the cornerof the wreck for support, he saw the rough, mottled skin shoot pasthardly a foot away. Mart swiftly jerked up his kris and lunged forwardwith all his strength.
He felt the keen weapon shear into the brute and jerk him out, but hegrimly held to his grip. Something struck him and sent him staggering;then he had pulled the kris free. Barely had he done so when the shark'shuge forked tail drove past his head in a lash of foam and blood, andMart reeled back into his shelter. The sides of the wreck caught hisshoulders and kept him upright, fortunately.
He noticed a slight roaring in his ears, and knew that the air wasbeginning to get bad in his helmet. He pressed his diving dress andforced up some of his remaining supply. Peering out, he could notrepress a thrill of exultation--he had won the first round!
Yet it was a strange and awe-inspiring sight that met his gaze. Tingeingthe water a dim red, the immense fish was tearing to and fro in wildfury, lashing across the entrance like lightning, drawing the water inswirls and whirlpools that came near to dragging out Mart despite hisgrip on the wreck. He felt even the old ship tremble beneath the fierceblast of water, while the huge gray shape flashed down and across andup, back and forth, in terrible spasms of rage. But after it trailedthat thin stream of red, and Mart exulted.
"By golly, I've got to finish this thing quick!" he thought vaguely, forthe roaring in his ears had increased, and it was hard to fill his lungswith the vitiated air. "If I can only settle him, I can cut off theseweights and take a chance on shooting up to the top. It'll be a mightyslim chance, but it's all I've got."
Rendered desperate by his fear of suffocation, which was even greaterthan his fear of the Pirate Shark, he advanced to the edge of theopening with a resolute determination to take any chance that offered.Nor was it slow in coming.
Down swept the shark with a rush, flicking in its tail as it passed, andMart leaped back only just in time to avoid it. But he saw the brute'spurpose now--to try to suck him out with the swirls of water, or tostrike him over with its tail, and as he eyed the dim gray shape thatwas circling around for another rush, he made ready. He must strike asthe huge body flicked past--and he must leap back before the tail couldget to the opening!
That meant only one thing. He would have no chance to pull out his kristhis time. Everything would depend on the one sure stroke, which must bea death-wound. If not, the kris would be carried off in the shark'sbody, and with his little sheath knife alone left him, he would behelpless.
"Got to do it!" he thought dully, for now his ears were paining, and hebegan to feel as if his nose were about to bleed. He was gasping forair, and forcing up newer air from about his legs and body only relievedhim slightly. "Got to do it this time, or lose out!"
All the water seemed faintly hued with crimson now, and he knew that hisfirst blow must have worked considerable damage. The shark had dashedoff until he could only see it dimly--a monster shadow that dartedsmoothly but erratically about in the distant depths, as if workingitself up to a greater fury. Then it swung about in one wide sweep, andbegan to grow plainer as it came down upon him.
Its speed was appalling. During his instant of waiting, Mart's couragealmost failed him; it seemed impossible that he could strike and leapback in time to avoid the flashing tail!
Nor could he, as it proved. The monster fish drove in upon him, turningas it came, its bulk seeming to fill all the space above and to crushhim back upon the wreck; then Mart, never giving an inch, shoved hisflame-bladed kris forward, saw it go home to the hilt in the gapingmouth of the Pirate Shark, and then was swept from his feet.
He went down with a rush in the tremendous swirl of waters, being drawnalong the side of the wreck for a little space; but the fall proved tobe his salvation. As he struggled feebly and vainly to gain his feet, hecould see that everything was gone crimson around him. Through thebloodstained waters lashed the whiplike tail of the Pirate Shark,beating with terrific force against the wreck; the fish, blinded by itsown lifeblood, was trying to find its enemy, and a single stroke fromthat tail would have finished Mart forever.
He lay quiet, huddled against the wreck, but now there was little fearof the Pirate Shark in his heart. Whatever the results of that finalblow had been, nothing now mattered except the terrible pains that hadcome upon him. The air in his helmet seemed to poison him, his throatand lungs were on fire, and he knew that he was bleeding at the nose.
"By golly, this is awful!" he muttered thickly.
He determined not to give up without a last struggle, however. He stillhad his sheath knife, and he could cut away his weights and shoot up.Though it would be dangerous, both because of the pressure and becauseof the Pirate Shark, he spent no more thought on it but drew his knifeand tried to rise.
This was no easy matter, so evenly was his weight adjusted, but hefinally managed to get up, leaning weakly against the side of the wreck.His head was buzzing madly, and it was difficult for him to see anythingbecause of the cloud of blood and stirred-up slime that filled thewater.
He could see nothing of the Pirate Shark, but that did not matter now.Managing to get out his knife, he tried to stoop over and cut away hisshoes. To his terror, he lost balance again and fell weakly forward,unable to stop himself. He was gasping and fighting for breath now, butthere was no good air for him to breathe. He felt dimly that he wasgone.
He had no strength; still he fought up to his
feet once more, savagelydetermined not to give in to the suffocation, trying vainly to ridhimself of the helmet. But he had dropped his knife, and dared not stoopfor it for fear he could not regain his balance.
Suddenly something flickered across the glass window, and he gasped outa broken laugh, thinking it a snake. Snakes would trouble him little,after battling with the Pirate Shark! But was it a snake? It stayedunaccountably still; then it began to jerk forward and back moststrangely, switching against the glass before his eyes. He put out hishand and touched it--rough hemp! Then he saw that a piece of metal wasfastened at the end, and was bumping against his legs. It was a rope.
"Good old Bob!" he thought, as a momentary wave of coherence restoredhis brain to itself for an instant. "I've got to fasten it--don'tbelieve I can hold on very long!"
However, the trailing end of his own life line was still attached to hisbelt. Hauling it in, he managed to get the two lines knotted, then gavethe four pulls to "haul up!" He perceived the line tighten immediately,when a terrible gasping for air seized him and shook him; he tore at hisdiving suit with his hands, a spasm of agony making him reckless whetherhe let in the water or not. But fortunately the rubber-cloth was stout.
His frantic efforts had exhausted what little oxygen was left to him. Heknew faintly that the wreck had seemed to drop away from him, that hewas swinging up through the water--and just as the water seemed to begrowing lighter, everything went black before his eyes, there was a rushof stars, and he knew no more.
Up above on the landing, Bob was pulling away desperately, with fear inhis heart. At one side lay the figure of Jerry, still in diving dressbut with helmet removed. The old quartermaster lay very still and white,but Bob had no chance to work over him. When Mart's line had parted andthat terrible shadow had appeared down below, Bob had almost given up.Then he had leaped into energy, for he knew that now Mart's lifedepended on him alone.
He had swiftly cut away Jerry's back-weight and attached it to a line,which he lowered, swinging it back and forth in the hope that Mart wouldsee it. The under-water battle had lasted only for two or three minutes,although it had seemed an age to poor Mart, and now Bob was hauling upwith all his energy. He had seen the dim shadow shoot off, leaving agreat trail of blood, and he knew that Mart must be hard pressed forair; as he pulled, he prayed that the shark would not return until hisfriend was safe.
With a sob of relief, he caught the flicker of the copper helmet in thewater, and finally got the limp form to the surface. Pulling Mart in wasa hard matter, but it was finally accomplished, and Bob fell on thehelmet and unscrewed it with trembling hands. Mart's bloody face andghastly pallor struck him with cold fear, but he went to work at once todrive air into the contracted lungs, hoping against hope.
How long he worked over the unconscious figure he never knew. He shoutedagain and again for Ah Sing, and when at length the affrighted Celestialappeared at the top of the ladder, Bob sent him for some stimulant. AhSing vanished, and a cry of joy broke from Bob's lips, as he saw a faintcolor come into Mart's face and ebb out again. Mart was alive!
Bob labored furiously, and when Ah Sing showed up with a bottle ofalcohol, he said nothing but rubbed Mart's face and neck with the fieryliquid. Presently he was rewarded by a twitch of Mart's eyelids, alittle more color came into the faded cheeks, and then the gray eyesopened and looked up into his.
"Look out--he's coming!" whispered Mart, his hand going up and clutchingBob's arm.
"It's all right, old boy," cried Bob, tears running down his cheeks withthe relief that gripped him. "You're safe--take it easy!"
Up above them, Ah Sing burst into a frenzied chattering, then rushedaway, but neither boy noticed him. Mart lay motionless, looking up intoBob's eyes and slowly feeling strength come back to him as the revivingair found its way into his lungs.
"I got him, Holly," he gasped weakly. "Did you see him?"
"Sure!" returned Bob. "Keep quiet, now. Don't try to talk. You're nothurt, are you? Nothing more than the air?"
Mart shook his head. After a moment he managed to sit up with Bob'sassistance, and saw the motionless form of Jerry. Before he could speak,Bob restrained him.
"I haven't had time to look at him yet, Mart. I--I guess I feel kind o'weak myself--"
"_Seamew_ ahoy!" came a hail. "Where are you, Bob?"
"By juniper!" gasped Bob, jumping up. "It's dad!"