“That’s all right, old man, but there are no sharks at present, and if any come they will be too busy taking bites out of the other to bother me for a time.  H’m! they are putting about.  That’s all right.”

“You can carry me and swim yourself all right, Jack?” asked Jesse W.  “Maybe I can swim a bit myself now.”

“Never you mind about that,” said Jack.  “You just stay on my back till I tell you to get off,” and the boy swam with a good, steady stroke toward the approaching yacht, keeping a lookout for sharks, as he knew they would be sure to appear soon, seeming to scent blood for miles.

Without letting the younger boy know that he was on the lookout he kept a strict watch on all sides for more of the rapacious creatures, and at length discovered two making for him in different directions, one of them suddenly appearing between him and the yacht, which was rapidly approaching.

“That fellow will be frightened off or perhaps go under the vessel,” he thought, “but the other one is coming on pretty fast.  I hope he won’t get to the yacht before me.”

The people on the yacht saw the shark between them and Jack, and Dick Percival seized a gun from the captain, aimed at the creature and fired, doing no great damage, but causing the voracious monster to rush off to one side, and out of his direct course.

Sharks have other fish to guide them, and without these they are helpless, which was the case with this one, who, in his sudden change of course, got away from his pilots, and had to be hunted up by them before he could get his bearings on the boys in the water.

This created a diversion in Jack’s favor, and he swam on sturdily, splashing and kicking, and making a great disturbance to frighten away the second shark, which was coming alarmingly close to him.

The yacht was coming on, however, and now they bore down toward him, slackening speed a bit, one of the sailors throwing the boy a line.

Jack caught it with one hand, as it settled over his head, and said to the boy on his back: 

“Hang on, young fellow, and they’ll haul us both up together.  You are no sort of weight, but just hang on.”

Jesse W. did as he was told, and both boys were hauled on board the yacht, Dick, Harry, Arthur, Billy Manners and half a dozen others pulling in heartily on the line.

They were drawn on board just in time, for the baffled shark made one terrific jump out of water as they reached the deck, the gangway having been opened, and banged his nose against the plankshire, falling back into the sea with a great splash.

Bucephalus was at the gangway, an axe in his hand, and as the shark gave his jump he aimed a swinging blow at the monster, but failed to hit him.

“Go back dere, yo’ sassy feller,” he sputtered.  “Ah jus’ like to get one good crack at yo’ an’ Ah rip yo’ side open.  Don’ yo’ perambulate dis yer way again if yo’ know what am salubrious fo’ yo’, yo’heah?”