What's that ?" All listened, but there was no sound.
"I fancied I heard a low distant roaring noise," said the mate, dipping his oar again, "but I may have been mistaken." The captain was in the act of dipping his own oar when Billy Widgeon, who was seated just in front of Mark, whose place was right astern, turned sharply and caught the lad's arm: "Look, Mr Mark, sir, look!" he cried, pointing with his other hand, "there he goes!" "Who ?" cried Mark excitedly; "a savage ?" "Yes, sir," said Billy, grinning and holding Bruff, "savage enough.
Nay, nay, my lad, you lie down.

It wouldn't do you no good to go overboard now." "A large one, too," said the captain, resting on his oar.
"Ay, he's a nasty customer," said the mate.
"What is ?" cried Mark eagerly.

"What is it you can all see ?" "Shark!" said the captain.
"Where?
Where?
I want to see a shark." Mark's eyes were roving all about, but he saw nothing in any direction save a little dark triangular piece of something, with the forward side a little curved, and this was moving slowly through the water.
"There, my lad, there," said the captain; "can't you see his back fin ?" "Is that a shark ?" said Mark, in a disappointed tone, as the black object, looking like the thick lateen sail of some tiny invisible boat, glided along the surface not fifty yards away, and making as if to cross their bows.
"Yes," said the captain, "that's the fin of a shark, ten-feet long I should say." "And I a dozen," said the mate.
"Like to see him a little closer ?" said the captain.
"Yes," cried Mark eagerly; and then he wished he had said "No," for the oars were, after a pull or two, laid inboard, while the captain took hold of the sharply-pointed hitcher, and held it balanced in his hand.
The impetus given to the boat was sufficient to drive it onward, so that it was evident that the back fin of the shark and the bows of the gig would arrive at the same point together, and Mark rose eagerly to see what would follow, when the captain made him a sign.
Mark sat down, and suddenly saw the shark's fin stop some three or four yards from the boat, change its position, and come end on towards where he was seated; and his eyes were fixed so firmly on this that he quite started, as he saw before it, and very close to where he sat, a dark-looking body, with a rounded snout and two pig-like eyes.
"Don't know what to make on us, Mr Mark, sir," said Billy Widgeon, grinning.

"See his old shovel nose ?" "Yes," said Mark, "but I can't see his mouth.

I thought they had great gaping mouths, full of sharp teeth." "He keeps his rat-trap down underneath him, sir, so as not to frighten the fishes." "Hand me that gun, Mark," said the mate.
Mark passed it along; and as he did so the shark glided round the stern, and came along the other side.
"You don't think he'll attack us, do you ?" said the captain.
"There's no knowing what a jack-shark will do," said the mate, quietly cocking both barrels, and making the muzzle of the gun follow the movements of the great fish, whose elongated form was perfectly plain now in the clear water as he slowly glided on.