"A sea monster!" he cried, levelling his musket; "I discovered it, and
have the right to the first shot."

"No, sir," said Fritz, whose keen eye was a sort of locomotive
telescope, "I object to that, for I do not want you to kill or wound
my canoe."

"Nonsense, it moves."

"Whether it moves or not, we shall all see by and by; but do you not
observe this monster's young ones gambolling by its side?"

"Which proves I am right, unless you mean to say your canoe has been
hatching," and Jack again levelled his rifle.

"Don't fire, it is the hat and jacket of Willis!"

"What!" exclaimed Ernest, "is the Pilot a triton then, that he could
dispense with the canoe?"

"Well, yes, unless the canoe has found its way back of its own accord,
which would indeed make it an intelligent creature."

"The Pilot has evidently reached Shark's Island by swimming, in spite
of surf and breakers--a feat almost without a parallel."

"Bah!" said Ernest, parodying Jack's witticism about the oars, "what
does a pilot care about surf and breakers?"