The Pirate Shark

nd

eir binoculars. They were different from the pair that had left San Francisco, weeks before; sun and salt wind had tanned them, self-confide

d trading schooners, slimmer craft containing natives, and even immense canoes which

ow standing in for the wide river mouth which denoted their goal, Kuala Besut. On the right lay a low, palm-grown island some two miles long, which Jerry Smith declared unin

ry joined them. "Let's you and me run over to that island some

g his white hair in the breeze. "There be some fine sh

glasses. Although the river was still two miles away, they could see that it was large and ap

s soon as they see us slip our anchor over into the mud, and I'll talk t

. You'd better g

and on either hand were low and thickly overgrown, but rose into hill-slopes behind. All was a tangle of dark green jungle, and as th

island, and its waters were here distinctly sea-green, owing to the channels beyond the island. Where the yacht was, however, and to the south, the wat

heast. The Seamew slowly ran into the lagoon, turned inside the island, where the green water narrowed into a half-mile stretch, a

athom,

, and he wished to log their exact position. Mart gave Bob a meaning glance and the two boys w

reck of that old galleon, eh? The one w

ed with his pipe to the n

ight fathom down, she is-down there among the rocks, and us up above. Fish t

bother no more about the Pirate Shark, as he had a shrewd notion t

be out for an hour or two yet, not they! Tim

as he might want to go ashore with any boats that came out. He had been here before on a trading trip, he said, and knew the natives in

they went down to mess. "You're a guest as fa

to trust himself alone to the natives, it showed that on his previous visit he must have made friends with them. The boys had read and heard a good deal of how

o the dynamite on board, he concluded that whether the Pirate Shark was an hallucination of the old man's brain or not, the explosive might com

enough, in reality he was cautious in giving vent to any opinion whatever. He merely grunted in reply t

channel to the sea, there, and rocks pointing up. The channel would be

ot small chance, for a few moments later they made out two

was no need for any fears. When the leading boat approached cautiously, Jerry Smith stepped up on the rail, shouting something in a strange tong

They wore fez-like round caps, bright shirts, and sarongs or wrapped skirts of gay clot

rward, looking on with the men. Jerry repeated the order in Malay, and a moment later he was surroun

neapples, cocoanuts, rice and fresh fish. One of the Malays, who wore a resplendent sarong of crimson silk, Jerry introduced as the headman of

without any sheath. Glancing at the weapon, he drew Bob's attention to it; the blade was flame-shaped, about th

he'll sell

. I'll ask him, and you get something

Mart laughed at sight of it, but to his surprise the Malay eagerly made the trade, and the kris was Bob's. Captain Hollinger

Cap'n. When you've gone ashore, after that there huntin' trip, sir, then's the time to trad

ich he announced that he was going ashore and would return to report to the captain in the morning. He said it would be necessary to consult men from other vi

ishing-prau, with a farewell wave of the hand at the boys and his other shipmates. The Malays put out their long

over for the time being, the engine-room crew had come on deck, fraternizing with their brother Kanakas, and e

trophy worth carrying home. At mess that evening Bob's father announced his desire to take Joe

n shootin', Cap'n, but I'll be mortal glad to stre

capable, and he's going to start diving operations up the river. I want to see what things

ring at his plate. "I've heard a good bi

e's protest before the voyage began that Jerry was "unlucky." "I've heard abou

us to set foot on the sands, and to prowl about the place at their leisure, and as the island was clearly uninhabited, Captain Hollinger assented willingly. Mart decided

returned Mart scornfully. "And 'specially on the

ties out of the rack and slip her into the boat. Maybe we won't use

s!" ejacul

fter looking it up in his blue-bound book, found that it came from a Dutch steamer of the Nederland line, and promptly got rid of his messages, which would be relayed by more powerful instruments to Manila and Honolulu. During this labor, Bob slipped away, and after Mart ha

s," he said

ha

d scout! I wish we'd meet that Pirate Shark o' Jerry'

eyes sweeping across the