The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 307: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

302 THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. No sooner did the water touch him, than the un- happy wretch sprang from the bows of the vessel as if he had been shot. There was a general cry of terror as the body sunk like a plummet into the sea. All rushed to the side of the vessel.. There was Flin, yelling and striking out instinctively to save himself. ‘“‘ Throw over a hen-coop,’ tub.” “ Don’t lose the body,” frantically exclaimed Ben. ‘He has a thousand pounds sewn up in his clothes. My all,” he added, wringing his hands, “ my all!” This intelligence rather quickened the zeal of the sailors. But before they could throw over either a tub ora hen-coop, a dark fin was seen to rise slowly above the waves. ‘The shark, the shark!” shrieked the men. Flin saw it, and instinctively struck out towards the ship. The monster turned upon its back to strike its victim, and darted through the water with the rapidity of lightning. One despairing cry rose from the deep—the foam of the billows was slightly tinged with blood— there was a bubbling of the waters, as the monster disappeared with his prey—and all was over. “ Pigtailed Tom was right, after all,” said the young sailor. ‘ That aint no natteral fish,” he added, “it was a dead un.”’ > cried the captain, “or a ecomnuicloooks (SO