"They'll soon be tired out and will then swim away and leave us to see about righting the ship.

Don't think of them, Tom; they can't touch any of us where we are." "But how long can we stop like this ?" I asked despairingly.
"Long enough to bother the sharks," he replied.

"They haven't pluck enough to wait when they see they've got no chance; for, they're born cowards at heart, as all sneaking things are!" Jake also sidled up to me at the same time and somewhat restored my equanimity, saying in his light-hearted way, "Golly, Mass' Tom, we kill um all first wid um knife 'fore dey touch you!" The afternoon waned on; so, as the sharks exhibited no signs of yet leaving us, and the evening was closing in, Captain Miles ordered the men to lash themselves again to the rigging for fear of their tumbling off in the night and so falling a prey to the brutes--otherwise, there was no great need of the precaution, for the sea was almost now calm, the waves having quite ceased to break.

Only a heavy swell lifted the ship up at intervals, letting her roll down again, and swaying gently to and fro with a gentle rocking motion which would have sent us all to sleep but for the hunger which now kept us awake with a nasty, gnawing pain at the pit of our stomachs.
Our thirst was appeased, Jackson having swung himself down to the water- cask and served out another drink all round shortly after the sharks had made their appearance, as they could not approach near enough to the waist of the ship to interfere with his movements, the deck there being clear of water.

But, oh, we did feel hungry! "I believe I could a'most eat anything now," said Moggridge plaintively, chewing away at a piece of leather which he had torn off one of his boots.
"Only hold out and we'll get something soon," replied the captain, who tried nobly to keep up the spirits of the men.