was lost in the animal's flesh, that of the latter rebounded off a
horny protuberance that armed the monster's upper lip.

Fritz had time to recharge his rifle; he levelled it a second time,
and the ball went to join the former; but, for all that, the pinnace
continued to cleave the water at a furious rate.

Becker seized an axe and cut the rope.

"Oh, father, what a pity! such a splendid capture for our museum of
natural history!"

"It is a sword-fish, children; a monster of a dangerous species, and
of extreme voracity. If, by way of reciprocity, the fish have a museum
at the bottom of the sea, they will have some fine specimens of the
human race that have become the prey of this creature; and it may be
that we were on the way to join the collection."

"Did you observe the formidable dentilated horn?"

"It is by means of this horn or sword, from which it takes its name,
that it wages a continual war with the whale, whose only mode of
escape is by flourishing its enormous tail; but the sword-fish, being
very agile, easily avoids this, bounds into the air as Fritz saw it
doing just now, then, falling down upon its huge adversary, pierces
him with its sword."

"By the way, talking about the whale," said Jack, "all naturalists
seem agreed, and we ourselves are convinced from our own observation,
that its throat is very narrow, and that it can only swallow molluscs,