136 THE BOY CAPTAIN.

ing the direction of the wind when they kill a shark,” Mr.
Bean said, thoughtfully ; “but if men will do such things
they must take the consequences.”

Ben laughed, as he could well afford to do, now that the
danger was over.

“Do you still hold to it, Mr. Bean, that all this came of
catching the man-eater ?”

“Tt is as true as that you are standing here,” and then,
as if unwilling to enter into any discussion on the matter,
the first officer went forward to get the brig into proper
trim once more.

Miss Dunham ventured on deck, and Ben, feeling he
had earned the right to give himself a few moments free-
dom from care in the young girl’s society, joined her at
the companionway.

“Mr. Bean may say what he chooses about the danger
of killing a shark; but I don’t believe it, even if it did
come true in this case,” she said, laughingly, as Ben ap-
proached. “I’ve seen a good many caught, but never
did a tempest descend upon the murderers so quickly.”

«Tt is all nonsense, of course ; but every man Jack of the
crew, from this time out, will swear that it is a fact. It’
be hard work to persuade either of them ever to throw a
baited hook at a shark again.”

«Well, now that we have paid the penalty for such
dangerous sport, and are well out of the trouble, suppose
we talk about yourself a moment,” said the young girl.

«If you can find anything in a forecastle hand lately
come into the cabin, that will serve as conversation for