“‘There’s the three sharks, sure enough!’ said the passengers.

“‘Are they come?’ said Etau, raising her head.

“‘Yes, moder, dere dey be—­very large shark,’ replied one of the negroes.

“‘Then three are doomed,’ said the old woman, ’and here we stay, and the waves shall not run, nor the wind blow, till the three sharks have their food.  I say three are doomed!’

“The passengers were more or less alarmed with this prophecy of old Etau’s, according as they put faith in her.  However, they all went to bed quite well, and the next morning they got up the same.  Still there was not a breath of wind, the whole sea was as smooth as glass, and the vessel laid where she was the night before, in about six fathoms of water, about a mile from the reef, and you could see the coral rocks beneath her bottom as plain as if they were high and dry; and what alarmed them the next morning was that the three large sharks were still slowly swimming round and round the schooner.  All that day it remained a dead calm, and the heat was dreadful, although the awnings were spread.  Night came on, and the people, becoming more frightened, questioned old Etau, but all the answer she gave was, ‘Three are doomed!’

“The passengers and crew were now terrified out of their wits, and they all went to bed with very melancholy forebodings, for the elements appeared as if they were arrested till the penalty was paid.  For, you observe, pilot, there is always a light breeze as regular as the sun rises and goes down; but now the breezes only appeared to skirt the land, and when they came from the offing invariably stopped two or three miles from the schooner.  It was about midnight that there was a stir in the cabin, and it appeared that Mr. Shedden had the yellow fever, and shortly afterward another white man, a sailor belonging to the schooner, then one of Mr. Shedden’s slaves.  Well, there the fever stopped—­no one else was taken ill—­the usual remedies were applied, but before morning they were all three delirious.  At sunrise it was still calm, and continued so till sunset; and all the day the passengers were annoyed by the back fins of the three sharks, which continued to swim about.  Again they went to bed, and just before one o’clock in the morning Mr. Shedden, in his delirium, got out of his bed, and, rushing on the deck, jumped overboard before any one could prevent him; and old Etau, who never left where she sat, was heard to say, ‘One!’ and the bell was struck one by the seaman forward, who did not know what had happened.  Morning came on again and there were but two sharks to be seen.  About noon the other white man died and he was thrown overboard; and as one shark seized his body and swam away, old Etau cried out, ‘Two!’ An hour afterward the negro died, and was thrown overboard and carried away by the third shark, and old Etau cried out, ’Three! the price is paid!’