Republican farmer., 1919-01-03
THE SHARK PATROL.

In the J. Allan Dunn story. ''The Pearls of Tia Rau." another of Jim
 Morse's adventures in the South Sea, which appears in Boys Life for January, Jim has a thrilling adven- uIre running the gauntlet of the
 shark patrol that guards Tia Rau:
 The reef about the lagoon was showing clearer, outlined by the phosphorence. At one place the water swirled smoothly, deeper than the rest of the gaps, and wider It was an entrance. Inside, the lagoon lay quiet A small boat could enter now. But, parolling the little gate, criss- crossing the fiery trails from their fins, moved the sharks. And. on the reef, several anchor stocks, the only monuments of the crews who had
 been wrecked and found their fate
 in the maWs of the sea- tigers, showed plainly
 Jim climbed over the rail. got into the small boat and threw off the hitch, coiling the painter The sea pitched only moderately. Though the sky was murky there seemed no likelihood of anything but passing squalls.
 suddenly the boat lurched as if it had struck a rock. Jim looked to see whirl of aqueous flame glide off Another was approaching. Still another joined it. Sharks! They | scraped alongside of the dinghy, auGging atit with their shouts, testing it's balance Jim rowed desperately
 Tor the opening in the reef, fearful that one would seize the blade of an oar After a short, hard pull he I reached the gap, shot through and l into the calm water that was alive with light. There was sweat on his 1 forehead, the sweat of fear. He had l passed one-haIf of the gauntlet but i he had yet to return.
 Buck up and play the game, old | scout he murmured and padded ! over to where the largest anchor- stock stood almost upright between | the snags of coral There was a 1 wide platform of the stuff only just
 covered with the ebbing tide. Jim ] stepped on it and got to work, fast
 ening his dinghy carefully to the | anchor. Then he got back into the
 boat and faced his return. The tide l was running out of the entrance and 1 1t swept him along towards the schooner so that he needed only to | paddle, which he did with shallow 1 blades. On either side four sharks 1 escorted him, closing in as if they | feared they would lose their prey. | There was a tug at his starboard oar | that almost pulled him overheard while the dinghy tipped perilously. | He had to let go the oar. Instantly l four of the beasts were ravening at | It in a yeast of flame. There was g.
 notch in the stern and Jim put his remaining oar to it and waggled fur | iously. Bump! A shark rushed and l butted the thin blanks. Another! | Then frightful wrench at the sec
 ond oar. Jim fell in the stern, one ! wrist in the water, snatching it just
 in time to save it from the nav of
 Q shark. The brute had turned and 1 he could see the rows of teeth-the
 s!clIly gleaan of it's bellyi
 Bump! and Bump! again. But
 this was the side of the schooner and
 he scrambled to the bows of the bob-
 ping boat, fiinging the painter
 aboard as he jumped for the main
 stays, got a grip and flung himself
 aboard, panting, in time to belay the painter"
 BOOKS FOR SOLDIERS IN RUSSIA.
 London, Jan. 1 - There will be
 plenty of reading matter for the American soldiers isolated in north
 ern Russia this winter, frozen in for
 seven mC1lths as far as water trans portation is concerned. The Ameri- can Y. M. c. A. has dispatched 9,386
 general books, 1,2OO reference books,
 1O445 text books, 19,7S2 magazines
 and newspapers, 500 Testaments, $50
 Bibles, 11,500 pictures, and numer- : ous other adJuncts called for.