"O, Noddy, you have saved me," cried Mollie, as she rose from her knees, upon which she had thrown herself before she uttered her simple but devout prayer.
"I am so glad you are safe, Mollie! But was it me that saved you?" asked Noddy, as he pointed up to the sky, with a sincere feeling that he had had very little to do with her preservation, though he was so deeply impressed by the event that he could not utter the sacred name of the Power which in that awful moment seemed to surround him, and to be in his very heart.
"It was G.o.d who preserved me," said she, looking reverently upward again; "but he did it through you; and I may thank you, too, for what you have done. O, Noddy, you have been my best earthly friend; for what would my poor father have done if the shark had killed me?"
Noddy sculled towards the Roebuck, for he knew that Captain McClintock was anxiously awaiting their return. When the boat touched the accommodation ladder, the anxious father sprang on board, not knowing even then that his daughter was entirely safe. He had seen Noddy draw her into the boat, but he feared she had lost a leg or an arm, for he was aware that the harbor swarmed with the largest and fiercest of the merciless "sea-pirates."
"My poor child!" exclaimed he, as he clasped her in his arms, dreading even then to know the worst.
"Dear father!" replied she.
"Are you hurt?"
"Not at all."
"Were there any sharks out there?"
"I guess there were!" replied she, significantly.
"One of them had just heeled over to snap at her," added Noddy. "I never was so frightened in my life."
"Good Heaven!" gasped the captain.
"I gave myself up for lost," said Mollie, shuddering, as she recalled that fearful moment.
"Well, what prevented him from taking hold of you?" asked Captain McClintock, who had not been near enough to discern precisely what had taken place in the boat.
"Noddy saved me, father. He jammed the boat-hook right into the shark"s head. In another instant the creature would have had me in his mouth. O, father, it was such an awful death to think of--to be bitten by a shark!"
"Horrible!" groaned the father. "Noddy, your hand! You and I shall be friends to the last day of my life."
"Thank you, sir," replied the heroic boy, as he took the proffered hand.
"I did the best I could; but I was so scared! I was afraid the shark would catch her in spite of me."
"G.o.d bless you, Noddy! But come on board, and we will talk it over."
Captain McClintock handed Mollie, still dripping with water, to Mr.
Watts, who had been an interested spectator of the touching scene in the boat; and she was borne to the cabin amid the congratulations of the crew, with whom she was a great favorite.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE YELLOW FEVER.
Mollie went to her state-room, and changed her clothes; and she did not come out till she had kneeled down and poured forth another prayer of thanksgiving for her safety from the horrible monster that would have devoured her. Her father kissed her again, as she returned to the cabin.
He was as grateful as she was, and he took no pains to conceal the emotions which agitated him.
"Now tell me all about it, Mollie," said he. "How happened you to fall overboard?"
"I was careless, father. Noddy was persuading me to sit down at the moment when I went overboard," replied she.
"I was afraid of the sharks as soon as I knew what they were; and I was thinking what an awful thing it would be if she should fall overboard,"
added Noddy.
"If I had minded you, Noddy, I shouldn"t have been in danger."
The story was told by the two little adventurers, each correcting or helping out the other, till the whole truth was obtained. It was evident to the captain and the mate, that Noddy had behaved with vigor and decision, and that, if he had been less prompt and energetic, poor Mollie must have become the victim of the ravenous shark.
"You have saved her life, Noddy; that"s plain enough," said Captain McClintock, as he rose and went to his state-room.
"You were smart, my boy, and you deserve a great deal of credit," added Mr. Watts.
"I don"t mind that; I was too glad to get her out of the water to think of anything else."
"Well, Noddy, you did good work that time, and you have won a great deal of honor by it."
"You shall win something better than that, Noddy," said the captain, as he returned to the cabin with a little bag in his hand. "Here are ten gold pieces, my boy--one hundred dollars."
He handed Noddy the bright coins; but the little hero"s face flushed, and he looked as discontented as though he had been robbed of the honor of his exploit.
"You shall win a hundred dollars by the operation," continued the captain.
"Thank you, sir, but I don"t want any money for that," replied Noddy, whose pride revolted at the idea, however tempting the money looked to him.
"Take it, Noddy. You have done a good piece of work, and you ought to win something for it," added the captain.
"I don"t want to win any money for a job like that, Captain McClintock.
I am already well paid for what I have done. I can"t take any money for it. I feel too good already; and I am afraid if I take your gold I should spoil it all."
"You are as proud as a lord, Noddy."
"I"m sure, if we had lost Miss Mollie, I should have missed her as much as anybody, except her father. I shouldn"t feel right to be paid for doing such a thing as knocking a shark in the head. I hated the monster bad enough to kill him, if he hadn"t been going to do any mischief."
"Then you won"t take this money, Noddy?" continued the captain.
"I"d rather not, sir. I shouldn"t feel right if I did."
"And I shouldn"t feel right if you didn"t. You don"t quite understand the case, Noddy."
"I think I do, sir."
"No, you don"t. Let me tell you about it. You have done something which fills me with grat.i.tude to you. I want to do something to express that grat.i.tude. I don"t know that I can do it in any other way just now than by making you a little present. I don"t mean to pay you."
"It looks like that."