# The History and Travels of Hector Maclean, Late Sailor/Number I/Section II

​SECTION II. IWas hitherto, as they say, only a fresh Water Sailor, having never been so far from the Coast at to lose Sight of Land: Now I was bound to Virginia as a Tryal Voyage, and had fifteen Shillings per Month for the first two Years.
We had a rough Passage, being eleven Weeks at Sea, betwixt Tory in Ireland and Cape Henry in Virginia. In our Passage we sprung out three lower Masts, and our Bowsprit, and was obliged at last to reef our Top-masts, and lessen our Sails by putting up our Mizen Top-sail for the Main Top-sail, lest the Storm should carry all our Masts away. In Passage, the Sally Snow, also bound for Virginia, commanded by Paterson, Mr Arthur of Greenock the Owner, was parted from us in the Storm; and had not again seen her for six Weeks after, when we saw her, she was much in my Condition: We attempted to come up to her, but we suppose she took us to be a French Ship, for she bore right before the Wind to the Southward, and was never heard of since, as no Doubt she perished at Sea and all her Crew. We arrived at last at Virginia, and anchored at Cherry Point, in Rapahnock River; but by Reason of the severe Frost we durst not venture up the River amongst the Ice, so continued at Anchor six Weeks, when we ventured up Epsol Town, where we moored our Ship with a Swivel. When we were homeward bound, we had an Eagle on Board which devoured a Quarter of a small Hog at a Meal. ​We had also a very odd Animal called an Opossom on Board. This Creature in Shape and Size somewhat resembles our Badger, but of a light dun Colour, with a long Tail like a Rat's, but thicker. The Skin of his Belly is very large, and folded so as to meet like a Purse, where it secures its Young while little. It was kept in a Cage, and two young ones which went into this false Belly of the Mother all the Night, and came out again in the Morning. It feeds upon Fish, and breeds in Virginia. Our Captain was offered six Pounds Sterling for the Animal at Greenock, by a Show-man, but refused to part with it; tho' it was carried off from the Ship afterwards, none could tell how, which the Captain was very angry for.
During the Storm in our Outward bound Passage, we observed three Crows, which had been driven off the Land by it, which flew around our Ship, and rested upon our Tops; we took Pity on them, and put up Berly for them to feed upon, which they did, and being quite wearied out, we catched them in the Night, and brought them down, cliped their Wings, and fed them among the Pidgeons, and they became very tame; but one Day, poor Creatures! when the Ship was rolling, they all plumped over Board, and perished, after all our Hospitality and Attempts to preserve them, and it would have been impossible for us at that Time to have saved the best Man in Europe, if he had fallen over Board.
Once beating the Windward Passage Home from amaica, one of our Hands, a brisk young ​Fellow, a Native of England, and a dexterous Swimmer, was foolish enough to attempt taking up the Ensign Staff and Colours along with it, was broke and blown over Board by the Sea Breeze (which was very salutary in that Island) and were driven to Leeward: we put our Ship about to recover them. He took the Lead Line in his Mouth, bidding the Mate haul in the Line when he would call him; he seized the Staff and Colours by jumping over the Waist under the Lee of the Ship, and then called out, Hawl, hawl; by which calling he let the Line slip our of this Mouth, and the Mate hawled it in, and left him a Stern, and the Ship went A-head. The Captain, who till then knew nothing of this desperate Affair, ordered the Ship to be put about, which, before it could be done, we could hardly perceive him from the Tops, but only like a Gul on the Top of the Water; we were only afraid he would be eaten up the Sharkes, for we knew he could keep above till we could come to his Relief; which we indeed affected; but before we got the Boat out, we heaved the same Rope to him, and by wonderful Providence he was got up just in the Instant of Time, a Shark was turning on her Back to lay hold of him, and made a Jump at him, and went down with a plunge again, after missing her Prey. The Captain reprimanded him for his Rashness, and advised him never to be guilty of the like any more.
The Shark is very large, and reckoned the boldest of all Fish; I have heard of one that weighed near ten hundred Weight, and have also heard of a Fish of this Sort that weighed no less than four ​thousand neat Pounds, which being cut up, had a whole Man found in his Belly; and I have heard of one caught at Marseilles, in the Belly of which was found a Man armed with a Coat of Mail. The Head and Mouth of the Fish is large in Proportion to the rest of the Body: The Number of its Teeth is altogether uncertain, and varies according to the Age of the Fish; and it has been observed that they breed new Teeth every Year as long as they live. I have seen one with nine Rows of Teeth, very hard, strong, and sharp.
This Fish is common in the West Indies, and is very destructive to those Men who divert themselves with Swimming, it sometimes biting a Man asunder, at other Times at least taking away a Limb. &c. yet it is often catched and eaten by Sailors. When it seizes its Prey it always turns upon its Back; though it is vastly strong, yet when it takes the Bait it is soon taken if you play him with the Line. The Fish when eaten tastes strong, and has a very hard Skin⟨.⟩
The Pilot Fish is of a deep Blue, the Belly is of a lighter Colour than the Back or Sides, the Scales are smooth like a Tench, its Back is speckled like a Seal's Skin; swimming it appears much like a Mackrel, and looks as if it were painted blue and white, like a Barber's Pole. The Shark is always attended by one or two of these Fish, which he will not devour, though never so hungry, because they find out the Prey for him⟨.⟩ It is reckoned very good Fish to eat.
When lying at Anchor off Crawsord's Wharf Kingston in Jamaica (being the first Time I was there) I put out as much Salt Beef, tied to a Rope to freshen it in the Sea, as was sufficient to serve ​the whole Crew, (being twenty five Men) for Dinner and Supper, and when I went to draw it up, in order to boil it, to my great Surprize it was taken away: I went down again to the Barrel unknown to the Mate, lest he should be angry, as perhaps thinking I had not properly fastened it in the Rope what I got last; so I brought up such another large Piece, and hung it over, fastened as formerly, but it was no sooner out than it was likewise taken off, upon which I told the Carpenter lhe whole Affair, begging his Advice and Assistance, as the Loss of so much Beef was owing to my own Laziness in not drawing up Water for freshning it, as it was ordered, he immediately understood the Robber of my Beef to be a Shark, and ordered me down for a Shark Hook that was below under his Bed, which was fastened to a Chain and Swivel, the Fore-top-sail being down on the Cap drying, and the Halliards lying loose on the Deck. He fastened the Halliards to the Chain, and baited the Hook with a Lump of Beef, and hove it overboard, and instantly the Top-sail went aloft faster than tho' twenty Men had been hoisting, till it was quite chock to the Block. The Men turning round with Surprize, seeing the Top-sail going up without knowing by what Means; but seeing the Halliards stretching out from the Ship, then they cry'd A Shark, a Shark is fast. Upon which the Carpenter and the Rest got hold of the Rope, but were not able to bring her in; so we went down in the Boat, and made a bowling Knot with another Rope about her middle, then hooked the bitten Tackle to it, and so hoisted the Shark upon Deck; where the Strokes she gave with her Tail, was ​(one would have thought) enough to drive one of the Planks through the Deck. The Mate run for a Handspike and put it into her Mouth, which she chewed to Pieces; but the Carpenter with his broad Axe struck off her Tail, from which the Blood sprung to an amazing Height: We then cut off her Head, and ripped her up, her Milt filled a Barrel in which we used to steep our Beef. And looking a⟨t⟩ her Gut Bag, it was so big that our Curiosity led us to open it likewise; here my Beef was the first Thing that presented me, and it would have been now no longer in my Power to have denied my Error in thus feeding the Shark with the Crews Provisions. Here was likewise a large Hook and Line in it, and a Man's Leg bit off above the Knee: Upon seeing this the Men cryed to heave her over Board, which was instantly do and not withstanding her being thus angled she swam round the Ship before she went to the Bottom; at the same Time her Heart was moving on the Deck, and continued to move so after the Body was sunk. The Negroes came crowding to the Ship on Purpose to buy her from us, and would have given us a Pistole for her, but by this Time she was gone, so by this Means we lost a good Dose of Rum, and they a Feast, for they devour a Shark when catched as greedily as a Shark devours a Man. This Fish was about sixteen Feet long.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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