Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-09

Wat looked cautiously overbOOrd.
sharks, which. though they do not &C
tually infest these waters, are by no
means rare. The cove was compare
lively safe, but beyond it there was al
ways danger 1t was the old story of
the wolf. Shark" had been cried so
often to young Wat that he paid little
attention to it. Now he was trapped.
After a time Wat got up and looked
cautiously overheard. The shark was
not there, but when he ran to the other
side it was there. The monster knew
his meal was safely cornered. Round
and round he swan, lazily and uncon-
cernedly enjoying the warmth of the
sun near the surface. Wat was unable
to withdraw his eyes from it. 1t fas-
cinated him as a snake does n monkey.
Now and then the fish would roll over
on its back, and then Wat would hide
his eyes, shuddering at the sight of
that hideous mouth and those gleam-
ing teeth. once, when the shark had
been on guard for an hour or more, it
paused at the seaward end of the
wreck and then swan slowly outward.
Hope sprung in the boys heart, and
he slipped quietly to the other end, in
tending to glide noselessly into the wa
ter and strike out for shore. If he had
done so, he might have got safely away
while the shark continued to swim
about, thinking its prey was still there,
but Wat had not the great courage TO
risk it. He hesitated, and in another
two or three minutes it was too late.
The brute came back, and Wat fancied
as it resumed Its methodical watch
that it looked up at him mockingly.
The truant grew hysterical with fear
and horror. He was quite able to real
ize his position. If lie swan shore
ward, he would meet q certain, cruel
death, perhaps the most horrible OF
deaths, But the cove and the hulk lay
far below the sea road, and between
that road and the ocean were great
masses Of trees and jungle which shut
out the sea from land passengers. Not
once in a week perhaps might any one
seek that secluded spot, while ships
passed far, far out. Thus there was
little chance of speedy help and an al
most inevitable end by starvation and
exposure, for, although the days are
warm. the nights in Natal are often
cold, and Wat was naked to all the
chill winds Of the sea.
When his hysteria grew uncpntrolla.
BILE, his means and tears gave place to
loud sobs, but still the placid sentry Of
the hulk swan round and round. The
sobs at length ceased, and in their
stead came loud cries which soon were
shril resounding shricks. But the
shark swan round and round till the
truant was crazed, driven almost to
madness by that relentless watch.
At length toward evening, when the
sun was sinking fast. one piercing
scream from Wat was answered from
the beach of the little bay-answered
by long, full toned Hello" Wat ran
up and down, jumping and throwing
his arms In the air, shouting Help!
Shark. Help! Shark with all his
strength and all his might. To the
highest rock figure assembled, the sun
shining fully upon it, and Wat recog'
nized the humble student, the poor
schoolteacher Jan de Jough, whom he
had so grossly insulted in the morning.
The boys heart sank.
81 called him black man." he
| thought, land he isn't, and tried to
break up the school, Hell go away and
leave me to die, and nobody will ever
know"
Still he shouted and cried and plead.
ed, and the schoolmastcr, to his great