104 ALONG THE FLORIDA REEF. 



thing but keep still," said the doctor, laughing ; 

 " but, if I am not mistaken, we will find him a 

 faithful comrade as w r ell as an interesting char- 



o 



acter." 



This proved true. Neither of the boys, 

 though living for months with Bob Rand, and 

 out on the reef with him nearly every day, ever 

 heard him enter into any conversation beyond 

 monosyllables, while his usual answer to a ques- 

 tion was to scratch his head and look off at the 

 horizon. Yet Bob was an invaluable boatman, 

 the best pilot on the reef, and knew all the se- 

 crets of the great shoal. 



The tide-gate of the moat, on the southern 

 side of the fort, was a famous place to observe 

 fishes and algae going out with the current. The 

 morning after their visit to the wreck the boys 

 were seated or stretched along the moat, in 

 various attitudes suggestive of little to do, inter- 

 cepting numerous specimens floating out to sea. 



"Say, boys," said Tom, u wouldn't it be a 

 splendid place to keep a shark, here in the 

 moat ? plenty of water, and no w r ay of his get- 

 ting out." 



