CHAPTER XVI
A DESPERATE STRUGGLE
For a second after swallowing the bait the shark remained perfectlystill. Then he darted away, only to be brought up with a round turn ashe reached the end of the rope.
It half stunned him and wholly bewildered him. He did not know what hadhappened. He tried again, but with the same result.
Then, as he realized that he was hooked, the fury of the shark becamefrightful. He sprang out of the water, lashing the waves into foam. Themast creaked and strained, and the counter of the _Ariel_ waspulled down until the water rushed over the side.
"Get up the sail," shouted Lester, rushing to the tiller. "He'll capsizeus if we don't."
Teddy and Bill sprang to help Fred, and the sail was quickly hoisted.The wind caught it at once, and as the breeze was a stiff one, itswelled out the sail to the fullest extent, and with this addedresistance against the struggles of the shark, the _Ariel_ was soonon an even keel.
"There!" exclaimed Lester, with a sigh of relief, "now we can hold ourown. I thought for a minute that we were going over. And just now Iwouldn't want to get too close to that pirate. Something seems to haveruffled his temper."
The rage of the shark was beyond belief. At first he tried to disgorgethe hook. But it had a secure grip and his efforts only served toexhaust him. Then he snapped furiously at the chain with his mightyjaws.
"Do you think he can break it?" asked Bill anxiously.
"Not on your life," answered Lester serenely. "If it were rope, he'dsnap it as though it were thread. But even the jaws of a shark can'tbite through a three-inch iron chain."
The shark darted here and there, trying by sudden jerks to break thechain. But it held fast despite his tremendous efforts. Then he changedhis tactics and hurled himself against the _Ariel_ with a forcethat made the timbers shiver.
"Do you think he can start a leak?" asked Fred, as the deck shook underhim.
"I hope not," answered Lester, "but he might. The _Ariel_ is amighty stout boat, but she wasn't built to stand the rushes of a crazyshark."
"What about giving him a clip with the hatchet the next time he comesclose enough?" suggested Fred.
"Suppose you try it," was the answer. "Get a tight grip on the rail andbend away over. Then the next time he hits the boat, hit him on thenose. If you catch him right it will stun him, and then I can finish himwith the harpoon."
Fred grasped the hatchet and disposed himself to take advantage of thenext rush. He gripped the rail with his left hand, while Bill and Teddyheld his legs tightly.
"If you go over, we go over with you," Teddy assured him.
"The shark would have a square meal then for fair," laughed Fred.
But the shark seemed to understand the trap laid for him and refused tofall in with their plans. He resorted again to fierce lunging anddiving, but did not again approach the boat.
"He's laughing at you," jibed Teddy.
"I don't think he feels like laughing at anything just now," repliedFred, as he rose to his feet. "But he's evidently given up the idea ofdashing his brains out against the boat."
"He'll be tired out before long," judged Lester, "and then I'll give youa chance to see what an expert I am at throwing a harpoon."
It was clear that the sea pirate was exhausting his strength in hisfutile struggles. His long career of cruelty and rapine was rapidlycoming to an end.
"I think I have a chance now," said Lester, after a few minutes more hadpassed. "You take the tiller, Teddy, while Bill and Fred haul him in."
But this was not an easy task. Fred and Bill strained until they felt asthough their arms were being pulled out of their sockets. But the sharkstill had enough strength left to make them pay dearly for every inchthey gained.
But they were gaining, nevertheless. They wound the slack around a cleatas they pulled it in, so as not to lose what they had once won. Lesterjoined them after he had got the harpoon ready to throw, and with thisreinforcement they soon had the shark within three feet of the stern ofthe boat.
"That's near enough," said Lester, rising to his feet and grasping theharpoon. "Now hold fast while I throw."
He took careful aim, poised himself so as to get his full force into thecast and let his weapon go. It hissed through the air straight at itsquarry. But the shark lunged aside, and the harpoon clove the waterthree inches to the right.
"Good shot, old scout!" cried Fred, as Lester, a little chagrined at themiss, drew the dripping harpoon in over the side. "It wasn't your faultthat you didn't get him. It was going at him straight as an arrow whenhe dodged."
"I'll get him yet," muttered Lester to himself, as he straightened upfor another effort.
He took his time in aiming and summoned up all his strength. Then hethrew.
The sharp point caught the shark a little behind the head and went clearthrough his body. It must have struck a vital point for the monster gaveone convulsive leap and fell back in its death flurry, lashing the waterinto yeast. Then it turned part way over and remained motionless, theleverage of the shaft preventing it from turning wholly on its back.
A yell of triumph went up from the delighted boys.
"Glory, hallelujah!" shouted Teddy.
"That was a dandy throw, old scout!" cried Bill, clapping Lester on theback.
"This is our lucky day," yelled Fred in great exultation.
Lester flushed with pleasure. He had vindicated his throwing ability,and had proved himself a worthy son of his sea-going forebears.
"Father will be tickled to death when he hears of it," he remarked,trying to speak coolly, as though harpooning a shark was a dailyoccurrence with him. "He hates the brutes with all his soul. He wasnearly nipped by one while in the water off the Bahamas, and his matesjust hauled him on board in time."
"Well, now that we've got him, what are we going to do with him?" askedpractical Bill.
"Could we pull him on board, do you think?" inquired Teddy.
"Not in a hundred years," replied Lester. "If we had a pulley big enoughand rope strong enough, we might hoist him up, but in no other way. Iguess the best way to do is to crowd on sail and tow him in to Milton."
"How much further do we have to go?" asked Fred.
"Oh, it's a matter of ten or twelve miles yet," was the answer. "If wewere free, we could make it in a little over an hour the way this windis holding up. But the shark will be a big drag against us, and it willtake us at least twice as long. The harpoon sticking out at that anglehelps to keep us back."
"What do we care how long it takes us to get there!" gloated Teddy. "Wehave all the time there is and I don't care whether it takes us twohours or ten. We'll have something to show the natives when we do getthere."
"Oh, they've seen plenty of sharks," said Lester. "But I don't thinkthey've often clapped eyes on one as big as this."
"After we reach Milton, how are we going to get the shark ashore?"persisted Bill.
"Oh, that will be no trick at all," was the answer. "The beach shelvesout gradually there and I can take the _Ariel_ pretty close in.Then you fellows can tumble overboard and wade in, dragging the sharkwith you. We couldn't lift him, but it will be easy enough to drag himup on the sand."
"I'm anxious to get close to him so that I can study him," said Fred.
"You might have been nearer to one than you liked the day you went overafter Ross," laughed Bill.
"Yes," admitted Fred, "he'd have had the laugh on me then. But theylaugh best who laugh last."
"And we're laughing last, all right," declared Lester.
"Thanks to your good arm and the old harpoon," added Bill.
"We have with us to-day, gentlemen," said Teddy, assuming the air andtone of a professional introducer, "two renowned throwers. Indeed, I maysay three.
"This gentleman at the tiller, Mr. Lester Lee, throws the harpoon. Thisother at the sheet, Mr. Frederic Rushton, throws the baseball. Thisidler at my right, Mr. William Garwood, throws the lasso. I admit,gentlemen, with deep regret, that of
all this illustrious company I amthe only one who doesn't throw something."
"Oh yes you do," put in Bill quickly.
"What?"
"You throw the bull," said Bill.