Rage as well as fear seized George Fielding, the muscles started on his brawny arm as he held it aloft with a heavy stone in it.  The black was so hard pressed the last time, and so dead beat, that he could make but a short duck under the fish’s back and come out at his tail.  The shark did not follow him this time, but cunning as well as ferocious slipped a yard or two inshore, and waited to grab him; not seeing him, he gave a slap with his tail-fin, and reared his huge head out of water a moment to look forth.  Then George Fielding, grinding his teeth with fury, flung his heavy stone with tremendous force at the creature’s cruel eye.  The heavy stone missed the eye by an inch or two, but it struck the fish on the nose and teeth with a force that would have felled a bullock.

“Creesh!” went the sea-tiger’s flesh and teeth, and the blood squirted in a circle.  Down went the shark like a lump of lead, literally felled by the crashing stroke.

“I’ve hit him!  I’ve hit him!” roared George, seizing another stone.  “Come here, quick! quick! before he gets the better of it.”

The black swam like a mad thing to George.  George splashed into the water up to his knee, and taking blackee under the arm-pits, tore him out of the water and set him down high and dry.

“Give us your hand over it, old fellow,” cried George, panting and trembling.  “Oh dear, my heart is in my mouth, it is!”

The black’s eye seemed to kindle a little at George’s fire, but all the rest of him was as cool as a cucumber.  He let George shake his hand and said quietly, “Thank you, sar!  Jacky thank you a good deal!” he added in the same breath; “suppose you lend me a knife, then we eat a good deal.”

George lent him his knife, and to his surprise the savage slipped into the water again.  His object was soon revealed; the shark had come up to the surface and was floating motionless.  It was with no small trepidation George saw this cool hand swim gently behind him and suddenly disappear; in a moment, however, the water was red all round, and the shark turned round on his belly.  Jacky swam behind, and pushed him ashore.  It proved to be a young fish about six feet long; but it was as much as the men could do to lift it.  The creature’s nose was battered, and Jacky showed this to George, and let him know that a blow on that part was deadly to them.  “You make him dead for a little while,” said he, “so then I make him dead enough to eat;” and he showed where he had driven the knife into him in three places.

Jacky’s next proceeding was to get some dry sticks and wood, and prepare a fire, which to George’s astonishment he lighted thus.  He got a block of wood, in the middle of which he made a little hole; then he cut and pointed a long stick, and inserting the point into the block, worked it round between his palms for some time and with increasing rapidity.  Presently there came a smell of burning wood, and soon after it burst into a flame at the point of contact.  Jacky cut slices of shark and toasted them.  “Black fellow stupid fellow—­eat ’em raw; but I eat ’em burn’t, like white man.”