CHAPTER NINE.
A WATER-SPOUT.
Then, the next instant, a wild frenzied roar of joy echoed fore and aft the ship, making the _Josephine_ quiver almost down to her bottom timbers.
"Hooray!" I could scarcely believe my ears; but, as I looked up in surprise and wonder I caught sight of Jake's ebony face all aglow with delight, his eyes rolling about like a vessel in a heavy seaway and his mouth expanded from ear to ear.

He was evidently about to indulge in one of his usual huge guffaws when especially highly pleased and unable to contain himself, as he evidently was now.
"Golly, dat splendiferous!" he cried out in ecstasy.

"Um beat cock- fightin' nohow!" "Bravo, well done!" I heard Captain Miles's voice exclaim also at the same time, with a joyous heartiness utterly indescribable.
"Why, what has happened, Jake ?" I asked, quite puzzled.
"Wat happen', eh, Mass' Tom?
I tell um sharp! De sailor man lick de shark arter all! Him dibe under de fis; as um go to grab him; an' den, dey catch de nasty debbil one big crack wid um boat-hook, an' pull Mass' Jackson into der boat.

Golly, I'se so berry glad, Mass' Tom! I'se a'most cry wid joy, for true." And then, not content with this expression of his feelings, the sympathetic darkey, sliding down from the rigging where he had been perched, looking on at the terribly exciting scene taking place a moment before in the water, tumbled himself over on the deck in paroxysms of merriment, perfectly unable to restrain himself and keep still.
When I now looked over the side of the ship, which by this time was hove-to, the gig, with Jackson seated in the stern-sheets by Mr Marline, was close under the port quarter, and the rescued swimmer with those who had saved him in the nick of time were just preparing to come on board.
Presently, Jackson and the mate mounted the side-ladder amidst a perfect ovation from the crew, all hands cheering like mad and pressing forwards to shake the fist of him whom they had never expected to see again.
After this the gig was veered astern and hoisted up once more to the davits, and the _Josephine_, bearing round and filling her sails, again resumed her north-east course on the starboard tack.

The job of making the port anchor snug inboard was completed later on, when the men had sobered down somewhat from the excitement which had reigned through the ship from the moment Jackson had first fallen overboard--it having been an awfully anxious time throughout his peril by drowning, his hairbreadth escape from the shark, and his ultimate rescue.
Later on, Moggridge told me how the poor fellow escaped from the very jaws of death.
Jackson, he said, when he became aware of being pursued by the bloodthirsty monster, instead of losing his presence of mind, as most men would have done under the circumstances, remained perfectly calm and collected, having once before had an encounter with a shark in his native element.
He swam on steadily towards the ship, apparently unmindful of his enemy; but, he carefully kept his weather eye opened, and when he saw the brute going to turn on his back in order to make a snatch at him, he at once dived under the shark's body, thus circumventing his attack.