The bullet struck the water above the advancing monster, but seemed to do no particular damage, for they could see that he was still coming directly on.
Now the prow of the _Tramp_ was just alongside Nick; but the shark seemed dreadfully close, too. Dropping his hold on the wheel, Jack bent over to clutch the shoulders of the fat boy. He knew that he would have a tremendous task dragging him aboard, soaked as his clothes were; but desperation causes those who try, to perform wonderful deeds, and Jack felt equal to most anything just then.
He was still dragging Nick upward, and the other was trying to help himself as well as he was able, when the big fish, rushing under, seemed to turn over while opening his terrible mouth, lined with cruel teeth.
And then Jimmy, who had been holding his fire for a good opportunity, sent the contents of the shotgun straight into that distended mouth.
Jack pulled his chum aboard, and almost fell himself, such was the relief that pa.s.sed over him. The boat was whirling around in the mad currents, but as Jack again took the wheel he quickly mastered its erratic movements.
"Sure, I guv him the cowld meal, that toime, I did!" shouted the delighted Jimmy, threatening to attempt a real jig in his excitement.
"How d"ye like cowld lead, me bully bhoy? Next toime take one of your own kind, will ye, and lave our chum be. Look at the bog-trotter kicking out yonder, would ye? Don"t I hope some of his kind will ate him up now. It"s the biter bitten, fellows. Look! by the powers, if they ain"t tacklin" the gossoon, so they are!"
It was even so, for the wildest commotion was taking place out in the quarter where the wounded shark had been struggling.
Even Nick managed to crawl to the side of the boat and gape. A look of satisfaction took the place of the frightened expression on his round face.
"Anyhow, he didn"t get me, did he, fellows?" Nick seemed to find a strange pleasure in repeating time and again, in a hysterical way.
The remainder of the inlet was readily pa.s.sed, George managing to get a rope to the skipper of the _Comfort_, who towed the tricky speed boat to safety.
Jack did not mean to lose that life preserver, and he had Jimmy get it with the boathook as they pa.s.sed by. It had served Nick a good turn, and showed the wisdom of one being always prepared for trouble.
Nick was shaking at a great rate. This might come partly from his recent excitement, but Jack knew that the air was rather cool to one who sat in garments saturated with salt water.
"We"d better be on the lookout for a camping ground somewhere on Paramore Island, here," he remarked. "A fire would come in handy for Nick; and, besides, I reckon we"ve done all we ought to for one day.
If tomorrow pans out as lucky, we ought to get in touch with the lighthouse at Cape Charles."
"Well, I only hope," sighed Nick, between shivers, "that the programme will be a bit varied tomorrow. If there _has_ to be somebody go overboard to hunt for mermaids, let me off, won"t you, fellows?"
"We"ll think it over, Nick," called George, who was taking it easy now, since his engine was dead, and the _Comfort_ drawing him along in its wake.
They presently discovered a place that seemed to promise a certain amount of comfort; and so a landing was made.
"Smells like oysters around here, fellows," was the first remark Nick made, as he scrambled ash.o.r.e, and started to thresh his arms about, in the endeavor to get up a circulation--Jack had advised this as a preventative against a cold.
"Well, I honestly believe that chap would think of eating if he heard the angel Gabriel tooting his horn," declared Herb. "He"d say that he wanted to be fortified again the journey across that old river Styx."
"Sure, I would!" admitted the grinning fat boy, frankly. "Anyhow, oysters are good stuff, whichever way you take "em, and that n.o.body can deny. Get your old fire going, so I can change my clothes, and have an hour to gather a crop. Josh said if I got enough he"d give us scalloped oysters for supper. Yum! yum! don"t that just make your mouths water, boys? It does mine."
The fire was soon going, and beside its cheery heat Nick made the change. His soaked garments were hung up to dry the best they could, though it is a hard job when clothes have been in salt water.
Then, with a tin pail Nick set out to gather his beloved sh.e.l.lfish, signs of which had been noted near by.
In half an hour he had deposited three pails of what seemed to be very fair bivalves in a pile near the fire.
"Set some of the others to work opening them, Josh," Nick observed.
"My fingers are too sore for the job. Besides, I"ve done my part, seems like, in getting the crop gathered."
Jack and Jimmy took hold, and with the oyster knives soon began to fill a receptacle with the contents of the sh.e.l.ls.
Nick was busying himself whacking a few open on the side, "just to test them," as he said; for they noticed that he made no contributions to the general fund.
"A trifle salty, but just prime," the judge of oysters remarked, several times, as he devoured a fat one. "This is worth coming for, boys. The coast for me every time, when you can get such treats as this. Think I gathered enough? Want any more, Josh?"
"Oh! hould up!" cried Jimmy, whose fingers were getting sore from the various cuts received from the sharp edges. "Sure, we"ve got enough for a rigiment, so we have. Just ate up the balance yoursilf, and stow your gab, Nick."
A short time later, Jack, who had been rummaging around aboard the _Tramp_, called out:
"Anybody see my old coat lying around loose?"
At that, Jimmy uttered a startled cry and jumped up.
"Glory be!" he exclaimed. "I forgot all about that, Jack, darlint. It must have been your coat that wint overboard in the inlet, and sank, while I was shootin" the murderous shark. And by the powers, that is too bad, beca"se it had that bally ould paper missage in it ye was to deliver to Van Arsdale Spence at Beaufort!"
The other boys echoed the disconsolate cry of Jimmy, and looked at Jack, as if they felt the greatest pity for him in his unfortunate loss.
CHAPTER XII.
THE CAMP UNDER CAPE CHARLES LIGHT.
"Say, he don"t look bothered a teenty bit!" exclaimed Josh, surprised because Jack seemed so free from care.
"And look at him, would you!" burst out Herb; "why, blessed if he ain"t grinning right now, to beat the band!"
"Here, own up, Jack, old boy, what"s got you? Didn"t you care much whether you ever got that mysterious packet into the hands of this Spence fellow?" demanded George.
"To be sure, I did; and do yet," replied Jack; "but that"s no reason why I ought to go around pulling a long face and whimpering, especially since no milk has been spilled after all."
"But, sure, it was the ould coat as I saw go over!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Jimmy, stubbornly.
"I guess it must have been, because I just can"t find the same anywhere," admitted the other, nodding.
"And ye put that packet in the inside pocket, beca"se I saw ye," Jimmy went on.
"Yes, I did," Jack chuckled; "but then none of you saw me take it out again later and stow it in another place. You see, I seemed to have an idea my coat might get lost, because half the time I have it off."
"Then the packet is,--where?" asked George, brightening up.
"Down in the bottom of my fishing tackle box at this very minute, and not in the stomach of a Watchapreague shark!" declared Jack, confidently.
"Hurrah! Count another for our wise ould chum, Jack. He"s got the long head, so he has. Let"s have a squint at the doc.u.mint again, now.
"Twould be good for sore eyes to glimpse the same!" Jimmy declared, enthusiastically.
So Jack had to get out his fishing tackle box, and, dipping down into its depths, produce the valuable packet.