Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-09

broke silence for almost the FIRST time
i'm their acmnintnnce. He warned the
yonng Noretherner never TO 70 in swim
minG alone. especially upon the ocean
side Of the reef.
Winter merged into early spring. As
the floating hotel became more and more
crowded with transient guests, firewater
and his skih were kept busy from morn
ing till night AT first Frank was discou-
ISOLATE. but with tho assistance Of the
old Indian, who had n few minutes to
spare Just after sunrise, he built q very
creditable boat of his own. Sometimes
he even prevailed upon bis mother to 80
out for a row, but more often ne spent
the day upon the lagoon alone.
One warm ,spring afternoon be found
himself drifting idly toward the inlet
The sky was clear and the water tempt
ing. and his preceptor's advice was for
gotten He cnchored his boat stripped,
and presently was splashing and padding
about in the delicious water.
A hundred yards away n low, long
sandbank arose from the water. IL was
low tide and a foot or two of the dry
sand bar lay above the gentle breakers
Toward this Frank made his way, aud
while yet quite n distance from IL his feet
touched the shallow bottom of the la
gOon
Once upon the sand bank an rresisti-
bic desire 10 swim out among the break
ers at the other side came over the boy
Up to the very spot where he stood look
ing out upon the ocean, the water was
deep; a plunge and swim! where was
the harmI The old Indians advice rang
through his brain: but rs for q moment
he hesitated with his hands above his
head, ready TO dive. piece of sand
slipped and he lost his balance and fell
splashiug into the water, whether he
would or no. and moment later he was
out among the ocean swells.
And everything was forgotten save the
pleasures Of the moment
suddenly the young swimmer drew q
long breath. shifted the breeze again.
then his face blnnched A faint odor Of
watermelon seemed TO him to float upon
the waves. With a sudden energy he
turned toward the shore and swan for
IL with all his might At every stroke
the peculiar odor seemed to grow. until
at last the paniC-strcken boy felt sure
that a monster shark was swimming at
his side ready 10 turn upon Its back and
seize BIN In It's jaws
lie tried IN vain to splash the water,
but his arms and legs were too weak.
II was as much rs lac could do to guide
himself toward the bank.
When he was almost upon the sand.
with q great effort he turned 10 look
over his shoulder. II was as he thought.
He caught sight Of a lnife-like fin cut
ting the water not many yards behind
him.
E1erting every muscle for final strug-
gle he reached for the shore. and with n
supreme effort he clnmbered out of the
water AS he lay exhausted n sharp
snap and a commotion in the breakers
not a foot distant told him he had es-
capped none 90 soon.
Still painting Frank stood up on the
smooth. hard sea sand The monster
shark was swimming back and forth.
u never for an instant took its narrow
little eyes from the naked figure of its
postponed supper. Frank shuddered and
smiled as he thought how he would cheat
his sharkship by simply wading out TO
his boat.
But that smile was soon changed TO an
expression of horror. for scarcely had he
taken astep down into the shallow wa
ter on the other side of the bank when
an old log Of driftwOod acquired mo-
ton and cut through the water toward
him. "Alligators,' gasped the poor boy.
as his knees smote together aud quickly
running back he stood once more on
the sand bank. But the scaly monster
came on; as Frunk edged away, the
whole long brow length Of hideous
scales slowly followed up until It dragged
itself completely out of the water and
wnddled forward upon the sand
Frank had had sufficient experience in
hunting alligator with Firewater to
know that he could keep out Of it's way
on dry land but the tide was rising.
and though IL meant only difference Of
two feet even that would submerge the
little island at least twelve nches-and
then i would be only a question of shark
or alligatora
Twice the horny reptile dragged itself
after the naked boy up and down the
little strip of sand, which was even now
beginning TO grow smaller
Once great sweep of the armoured
tail almost touched his body II n had
struck him he would have sailed through
the air and landed in the jaws of the Ia
tent shark.
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