16 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



beach. He followed me right into the surf, and with 

 a snap of his great jaws, thick set with rows of pointed 

 teeth, gathered in a mouthful of the fish I had left 



there for my birds. I did 

 not wait to expostulate, 

 but ran to the hut, seized 

 my gun, slipped in a 

 charge of large shot, hur- 

 ried back and fired the 

 load into his side before 

 he could get away. It was in vain that he splashed 

 about and gnashed his cruel teeth ; I soon had him out 

 of the water and his head cut off, and it was not long 

 before my gulls and terns were feasting on his carcase. 

 There must be another shark, I knew, for these 

 man-eaters alw^ays swim in pairs ; so I kept my eyes 

 open for its mate. It did not come that morning, nor 

 the next, and I was regaining my feeling of careless 

 security, when it was suddenly dispelled by the second 



