“Oh, dear!” burst out Dora.  “It will be a sorry feast if we haven’t anything to eat from!”

“I’ll go back for the dishes,” replied Tom promptly.  “Sam, do you want to visit the wreck?  We can go and come by the time the things are cooked.”

“To be sure I’ll go,” said Sam; and in a few minutes more the two boys were off on the clumsy raft.

CHAPTER XVI

SAM AND THE SHARK

“The Golden Wave looks like an old friend,” said Sam as they paddled across the smooth waters of the bay.

“Her coming here is the finest thing that could have happened,” answered his brother.  “I didn’t want to say anything before, but if she hadn’t come what would we have done for clothing and for eating?  We couldn’t live on fish all the time, and one can do mighty little hunting without a gun.”

“We would have had to set traps, Tom, and dig pitfalls for larger game.  But I admit it would have been hard work, and I fancy a suit of goatskins, like Robinson Crusoe wore, wouldn’t be half as comfortable as a suit of clothes such as I am wearing.”

“If we could only float the schooner and sail away to some nearby port.”

“There is no port’ within three hundred miles of us, so the captain says.”

Soon the boys were halfway across the bay.  But moving the big raft was a laborious task, and they were glad enough to sit down and rest for a few minutes.

“There is no use of our hurrying,” said Tom.  “Our time is our own in this out-of-the-way place, and as we have next to nothing to do we want to make what little work there is last us.”

“Like a lazy man working by the day,” laughed Sam.  “I’m afraid I can’t work that way.  When I have something to do I’m not content until it is done.”

“Are you hot, Sam?  Here is something to cool you off.”

As Tom spoke he playfully scooped up a handful of water and threw it at his brother.

Soon the two boys were having lots of sport, throwing handfuls of the salty water at each other.  Then Sam made a motion as if he was going to push Tom overboard with his paddle.

“Hi! none of that!” cried Tom.  “I don’t mind a wetting by retail, but I don’t want it by wholesale.”

He continued to throw water at Sam and the youngest Rover tried to dodge.  The raft began to rock, and of a sudden Sam lost his balance and went into the bay with a splash.

Tom set up a laugh, for it was a comical sight, and it had been Sam’s own fault that he went overboard.  But then Tom’s laughter came to an end as he saw the form of a shark moving swiftly toward the spot.

“A shark! a shark!” he screamed.  “Sam, get on board, quick!  A shark is after you!”

Sam had gone far down beneath the surface and he did not reappear at once.  Then he came up spluttering.

“Gosh!  I didn’t want a bath!  Tom, you—­”