"This is my fault," said young Jack, and seizing a cutla.s.s, he leaped overboard.
"Lower away the boat," shouted d.i.c.k Harvey, who had just come on deck.
He and Jefferson had also armed themselves, and were about to leap in to young Jack"s a.s.sistance, when Harkaway senior appeared.
"Hold, let no man here risk his life," he said.
"But--"
"But the excitement will do me good, I want a good fight to keep my spirits up."
While speaking he had thrown off his coat and shoes, and cutla.s.s in hand, leaped to the rescue of his son and old Mole.
By this time, however, the boat had been lowered and was pulling rapidly towards Mr. Mole, who still clung to his plank about thirty yards from the stern of the vessel.
Old Jack with a few powerful strokes reached him.
"Hold on, Mr. Mole; the boat is coming. You youngster, swim out of the way at once."
"I"m going to fight the fish, dad."
"You are not. Away with you at once."
During this brief conversation the shark had been down out of sight. He now rose to the surface, and perceiving three enemies, seemed undecided which to attack first.
And while the fish was hesitating, Harkaway resolved to open the campaign. Accordingly he dived, with the intention of coming up beneath the fish and administering a stab.
Old Jack Tiller and Joe Basalt were just at that moment engaged in hauling Mr. Mole into the boat; they had him half way over the gunwale, when the shark made a snap and away went the professor"s other leg.
"Mercy, help! The beast is devouring me by inches," screamed Mole, as he rolled headlong into the boat.
Joe Basalt seeing that young Jack was still itching to have a go at the shark, seized him by the collar and dragged him in. They then rested on their oars and prepared to give the elder Harkaway any a.s.sistance they could.
"I lay five to three against the monster of the deep," said Harvey.
"I accept the wager on those terms," said Mole, who having discovered that he was unhurt, was reviving.
He took another swig at the pistol and then sat up to watch the conflict.
The shark, finding he had now only one opponent to deal with, turned towards Harkaway, who dived again, and getting this time fairly beneath the fish, thrust his cutla.s.s up to the hilt in its stomach.
Startled by this sudden attack, and smarting from the pain caused by the wound, the shark leaped up half out of the water, and then fell with a loud splash close by Jack.
Everyone on board was by this time on deck, watching the unequal struggle.
While the shark was twisting and turning to get at its adversary, Jack managed to give a second stab; but it was rather hot work, though, for Jack was obliged to dive so frequently that he had little time to recover his breath.
He was just endeavouring to do so, when the shark made another rush at him.
Old Jack dived again, and young Jack would have been over to his father"s a.s.sistance had not Joe Basalt forcibly restrained him.
A third stab made the shark feel very queer indeed.
In fact, Harkaway thought the fish was done for, and had struck out for the ship, but just as he grasped a rope and permitted himself to be drawn up, the shark recovered and made another most vicious dart at him.
Our hero, who had, in his time, vanquished so many foes, felt hardly inclined to let a shark get the best of him. He dropped from the rope and sank beneath the waves just as the head of the brute emerged therefrom.
Then up again like a shot; and the keen cutla.s.s tore its way through the vitals of the fish.
Then a fin was lopped off, and a few seconds afterwards the huge carcase was seen floating on the waves.
Harkaway seized the rope and fastened it round the head and tail of his vanquished foe, which was then hauled on deck.
"Bravo, old man," exclaimed Harvey, shaking his schoolfellow by the hand.
"You did that well."
"Though you were certainly a long time about it," observed Mole. "I could have--"
"You could have paid me three sovs. by this time," replied Harvey, "so just out with the dust."
Mole made no reply.
Jefferson then added his congratulations.
"Pshaw!" said Jack. "Mr. Mole did it all."
"How?"
"Why, he poisoned the poor shark with his wooden legs. It"s enough to make a fish disgusted with life."
A loud laugh followed.
"Meanwhile," said Mole, "will some-one be good enough to give me a lift?"
The professor was hoisted up on deck, and when they had all changed their clothes, and the great shark-killer had shipped two new wooden pins, he grew quite as bounceable as ever.
Especially as the death of the last shark was still jocularly attributed to him.
CHAPTER XLVIII
OLD JOE PLOTS WITH HUNSTON--WHAT CAME OF THE PLOT.
The Harkaway family and their guests were all a.s.sembled at dinner, after the shark-fishing, when the conversation turned upon their old enemy.