Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II THE LONELY FIGURE ON THE CLIFF STARTLING as was the sudden appearance of this horrible creature, the poor lads did not realize even now the frightful peril that hung over them. Of course they and their boat would soon be missed, and the men would come and pick them up. In fact, just at first, both boys were more inclined to congratulate themselves upon having caught sight of the monster in time to avoid him than to have any thought of alarm. Huntley was the first to perceive that the tide was fast rising, and already reached their feet where they stood; and, as he looked round for some higher point whither to retreat, he saw with inconceivable horror that the whole reef lay equally low, the coral insects being unable to exist above the water-level. It was but too plain that its whole surface would soon be covered by the sea, and they would then be at the mercy of their ferocious enemy, one stroke from the powerful flukes of whose huge forked tail would suffice to fling them off into deep water, to be drowned or devoured alive. Thoroughly alarmed at last, the boys shouted for help with all their might. But it soon became fearfully evident that the ceaseless hammering aboard the yacht—the sound of which reached them faintly even there—was more than sufficient to drown their distant call, while their figures, unrelieved by any patch of bright colour, were at that distance so completely blended with the grey outline of the coast as to be only too easily overlooked. Meanwhile the tide rose steadily, and the shark circled restlessly around them, as if feeling that its time was at hand. Drawing back as far as they could from the edge of the narrow reef, and clinging tightly to each other to keep their footing against the swirl of the rising water, the forlorn la...