Barney Blake, The Boy Privateer

was a noble East Indiaman, a ship that could almost have picked up our saucy little privateer, and carried her at her stern like

our irresistible amidships gun. A large number of passengers were on board, which made a disposal of her somewhat uncomfortable. We had to deplete our ship's com

r-the days not growing much cooler in consequence. One day, when we had got becalmed, th

king a long dip in the brine, thus making a delightful shallow for the more timid swimmers to exercise their talents in, while bolder spirits might strike out to any distance

ere not in a hurry to come out. The captain had got ti

ed. He now amused us with sundry suggestions and cautions with regard to sharks, warning us not to go too far from the ship, and solemnly averring that his as

ks! s

casting a look seaward, I, sure enough, discovered se

tant-only a few rods, but it seemed a league to our excited imaginations. At length, however, with a wild cry of relief, I felt the canvas of the outstretched sail under me, and, clambering quickly up the side, was safe on the bulwarks. My comrades followed right at my heels, and the next moment I had the satisfaction of seeing them safe at my side. All of them? No, not all. A feeble cry behind apprised us that one was less fortunate than the rest. It was Dicky Drake. He had succeeded in

cle that we were powerless to render a

bers!" said a clear,

long clasp-knife, open, and between his teeth. With one bound he was in the shallow of the sail below, and, with another, he grasped poor Dicky Drake

e sharks sprung the heroic Snollygoster. He dove out of s

bed him!" exclaimed o

monsters roll over on their backs and snap at their inexorable foe, or attempt to cut him in two with a sweep of their tremendous flukes. He was away again as quick as he came, attacking them from under the surface. In this he now had an advantage, as the water was so bloody that the fish could not see the blows by which they were being momentarily stricken to death, by the terrible right arm of heroic negro. At length, five of them were floating, dead or dying, on th

ut of reach just in time. As it was, the ragged edge of the animal's fluke just grazed his temple, drawing the blood. But before the unwieldy monster could recover himself for a renewal of the attack the knife of the negro was buried in his side. The wound was not mortal, but it must have been a painful one

quick as a wink, just as the animal was upon him, the negro disappeared, and the great effusion

d above the blood-dyed waters, while the conquered monster drifted off from the side of the ship, lashing t

ound him with rousing cheers. Little Dicky Drake caught him by the hand and fairly sobbed. I must say that I had a strong impul

r see'd de fish

h the sharks yet. As the blood faded out of the water the school of sharks again clustered about

prisoner. "'Ow will you 'ook one whe

u have been complaining of the mosquitoes all day, my dear sir, and why not use them? However, we might as well try '

up on deck, much to the as

first-rate purchase wherewith to fetch up anything short of a few tons' weight. Having made all ready, we hooked on the bait, and with a dozen stout seamen holding on to the other end, to be ready for any emergency, we lowered her slowly down. The stench of t

The bait was suspended fully six feet from the surface of the sea, but with a flying leap he took the whole hog at a swallow, and was hooked, of course. His weight drew the line do

avored to bite off the rope, but Tony had been too sharp for him there, by twining the line, for three or four feet above th

, when another squad of sailors threw out some grapnels to haul him on deck, tail-

o was dancing about, the merriest man on the ship. "And be sure you keep out

de Courcy, who was impatient to try the effic

ul away!" orde

en at the tail released the grip of their grapnels, while we simultaneously cut the line at his head. You had better believe we sprung out of reach lively, as soon as we ha

ble incide

tent to get in a shy with his sword-cane; at any rate he caught a side wipe from t

mid a storm of applause. "You see, I just vanted to get von vipe at the will

uld leap up perpendicularly fully thirty feet in the air, and come down with a crash that would make the vessel tremble to her keel. The blood poured from his mouth from the severe co

oon as the signal was received, we all began to dance about our victim, to get in a blow, which was anythi

asm, as he succeeded in inflicting a slight scr

as he danced in and fetched the shark a deep gash with his toma

een the eyes, and almost at the same time I ran my sha

e shark lay almost motionless. You may be sure that all hands, even down to Dicky Drake

hing and hacking took place until there was nothing

olphus de Courcy, who enjoyed the fun so muc

stabbing the lifeless mass again and again, until forced at l

ich was performed in a vein somewhat less merry than before. But the captain made quite a holiday of it, gave us plenty of gro