The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-20

of the fathomiess ocean Wat struck out
To deeper water with a bold, swift side
stroke, and soon was standing, monarch
of al. he surveyed. on q great black rock
which broke the force Of Che waves as they
etrove TO DASH with headlong strength
into the quiet cove.
AS ne stood there, with Joyous eyes
facing the ocean defanty (as his race .
eyes have done for centuries and do to-
day. sudden interest increased their wide
brightness. A quarter mile out from the
beach OF the little bay but only half
that distance from the rock on which
he stood lay ON a reef The dark timbers
of a recent wreck Wat remembered hear
Tag OF little bark rushing on the reef
IN gale a month ago but school and
cricket had prevented him going out 20
the cove untIl now. At once he was till-
ed with the desire to explore, and with
ont a moments hesitation, he plung d into
the deeper outside waters and swan for
the hulk. IL did not take him long to cover
the two or three hundred yards % the
wreck. When the vessel was wrecked,
monster waves, driven IN by a landward
gale, had broken over the reef. but now
the sea about the dead ship was compare
lively quiet, and on the leeside Wat had
no difficulty in climbing aboard.
Here were new and exhilaratlng de-
lights OF the rarest sort. TO explore
strange corners, to stand waist deep-now
che tide was out--in the shippers own
cabin and. pcklng about with fingers and
toes unearth strange things worthless
now, but interesting; to peek and pry
with an excited heart in the hope that ne
might lght upon a wonderful hnd-per.
haps treasure overlooked perhaps--. Al
the thought Of perhaps seeing something
ghastiy. although he knew all the crew
had been saved, Wat suddenly felt lonely
and afrad lie ran quickly up on the
broken deck He was started 10 mole how
long by the sun, his walk and his SWIM
ana his explorations had taken. Now he
felt hungry, and he knew Il must be Iona
past tifiin time al his mothers house. Tif-
fin? He looked again at the sun and the
shadows OF the rocks upon the sea, and
calculated correctly that it must be 2
O'clock and school would be coming out
in an hour.
Wat ran 40 jump overheard His foot
WAS on The broken rail and his hands were
ra sed TO dive. In an ngtant he would
have been in the water, when he stag
gored back white as -four. shaking at the
ncarness OF his escape Slowly, with .azy
complaccnce, with hardly a flick Of lts
great tail there swan beneath the boy,
most leisurely q great shark. II moved
about close to the surface, its dorsal FIN
sometimes above the water like sal,
ana JUS con- tihAir NAaRND uhiHig tgEo
stared up at the truant Wat sank down,
sick and faint.
He had been foolish worse than fool
ish. Time and again he had been warned
with the ether hovs, about the sharks,
which though they do not actually infest
these waters, are by no means rare. The
cove was comparatively safe, but beyond
IL there was always danger. 1t was the
old story Of the wolf. "Shnrkv had been
cried 20 often to young Wac that he paid
little attention TO il. Now he was trap
ped.
After a time Wat got up and looked
cautiously overheard. The shark was not
there. but when he ran to The other side
il was there. The monster knew his meal
was safely cornered. Round and round he
swan. lazllY and unconcernedly, enjoy
ing the warmth OF the sun near the CUR
face. Wat was unable to withdraw his
eyes from it, II fascinated him, as a
snake does a monkey Now ana then the
fish would roll over on its back and then
Wat would hide his eyes. shuddering at
the sight Of that hideous mouth ana those
cleaning teeth. once, when the shark
had been on guard for an hour or more
IL paused al the seward end Of the
wreck and then swan slowly outward
Hope sprung IN the boys heart, and he
slipped quietly TO the other end. intending
20 glide nOisecssly into the water ana
strike OUT for shore. If he had done so
he might have got safely away while the
shark continued to swim about. thinking
lts prey was stll there, but-Wat had not
the great courage TO risk ~ lie hesiiated
ana iu another TWO or three. minutes Il
was 100 late. The brute came back. and
Wat fducied as IL resumed It's methOdi-
cal watch, tnat II looked up at him mock
nRly.
The truant grew hysterical with fear
and horror lie was quite able TO realize
his position. If he swan shOreward he
would meet certain. cruel death-per-
baps The most horrible Of deaths. But the
cove and tine hulk lay far below the
sea road and between that road and the
ocean were great masses Of trees ana
iuuk.e which shut out the sea from land
passengers. Not once in % week. per-
maps, might any one seek that secluded
spot. while ships passed far. far out. Thus
there WIS uule chance 81 speedy help,
ana an almost inevitable END by atarva-
lion and exposurc, for though the days