They took the harpoon from the animal’s tail and tried to drag the creature over the gunwale of the skiff, but found it too heavy for them.  At length they lifted and dragged the porpoise up on the gunwale of the skiff which they pressed down until the water was beginning to flow over it.  Half of the animal was now over the side of the skiff and the boys threw their weight backward expecting to roll the porpoise into the bottom of the craft.  This would have happened if the porpoise had kept still, which it neglected to do.  With a blow of its tail on the water the animal threw its own body forward and Ned and Dick found assistance instead of resistance as they pulled, and promptly went over backward into the water with the porpoise and the capsized skiff on top of them.  When they got to the surface their captive had escaped, but the power boat was beside them with three highly edified occupants.  After the skiff had been righted and bailed out and the floating poles, oar, hats, and line tub gathered in, Ned saw the fin and swaying tail of a shark cutting the surface of the water near them, and calling on Dick to take the harpoon, began to pole the skiff toward the tiger of the sea.

“Look out,” shouted the captain.  “That’s a shark.  You’ll lose your iron if you strike him.”

Th captain spoke too late, for the shark was struck and the skiff was towed at speed for a hundred feet by the angry fish, which then turned and rolled up on the taut line till it caught the rope in its mouth and bit it in two as easily as scissors snip thread.

“Told you so,” said the captain.  “A shark always bites the line and often rolls up in it.  An alligator always rolls up in it, but can’t bite it.  I’ve had an alligator roll up against a skiff and pretty near come aboard after I’d harpooned it.  There’s another harpoon on the Irene, and I’ll fix it to-night with a few feet of wire for the next shark to bite on.  I reckon it’ll give him a surprise.”

Molly was in full command of the power boat for the day, and as harpooning was over, she ran it at her own sweet will.  Sometimes the captain helped her with a hint when he saw her heading for water that was too shoal.  The course she took was southerly and brought her near Man-o’-war Bush, from which rose hundreds of man-o’-war hawks, or frigate pelicans, the most graceful bird on the continent, excepting the fork-tailed kite.  These birds soared high overhead, circling, rising and falling with scarcely a perceptible motion of their wings.  From another key a flock of roseate spoon-bill, or pink curlew, flew at the approach of the boat, while young herons sat fearlessly on branches of trees or spread wings and stretched long legs as they fled in affright.

That night Mr. Barstow called a council on the cabin top.

“Boys, I would like to have you make Miami in four days from now, if you can manage it.”

“That’s easy,” said Ned.  “We can make the trip in a day.  That leaves us one day here and two at Madeira Hammock to find Dick’s pet crocodile.”