The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-05 00:00:00

UNPLEASANT BIVIMMIIVG CO.M.PANIOYS.

[From A hero in Spite of Himself, by Captain Mayne

Reid.]
A shark may be driven off for a time by the
efforts of a human enemy, but his natural voracity
will soon impel him to return to the attack. When
the Indian, therefore, rose to the surface of the water
—remembering his old practice as a pearl diver—he
cast around him a glance of caution. Having shouted
back to his companion in misfortune some words
which the latter had indistinctly heard, he placed his
knife between his teeth, and swam straight onward.
It was not fear that caused him to take this precau-
tion. It was merely an act of habitual prudence.
As he struck out from the canoe, he perceived that
two monsters of the deep, far more formidable than
those of the forest, were proceeding in the same
direction as himself. One was about 20feet from him
on the right, the other appeared at an equal dis-
tance on his left ; and both were evidently attend-
ing upon him. Unpleasant as two such companions
might be deemed, the swimmer at first paid but
slight attention to their movements. His mind
was pre-occupied with a variety of other thoughts
—especially with the doubt as to whether he might
be able to find the barges. On the wide surface of
the sea, and in the midst of the profound darkness,
it would be but too easy to pass without perceiving
them, and very difficult indeed to find them.
This apprehension, combined with those fearless
habits in the water, which he had contracted while
following the life of a pearl-diver—and furthermore
his belief in a positive fatalism—all united in ren-
dering the Zapoteque indifferent to the presence of
his two terrible attendants. Only at intervals, and
then rather from prudence than fear, he turned his
head to the right or left, and glanced in the direc-
tion of his compagnons du voyage. He could not
help perceiving, moreover, that at each instant the
sharks were drawing nearer to him. By a vigorous
stroke on the water he now raised his body high
over the surface ; and, there balancing for a mo-
ment, glanced forward. It was an eager glance ;
for he was looking for that object on the finding of
which his life must depend. He saw only the line
of the horizon of dull sombre hue—no object visible
upon it, except here and there the white crests of
the waves. A sudden glance to the right, and an-
other to the left, showed him the two fearful crea-
tures now nearer than ever. Neither was more
than ten feet from his body. Still the swimmer
was not dismayed by their presence. Far more was
he daunted by the immense solitude of the watery
surface that surrounded him. However bold a man
may be, there are moments when danger must ne-
cessarily cause him fear. Costal was in a position
sufficiently perilous to have unnerved most men.
Swimming in the midst of a rising sea—beyond
sight of land, or any other object—escorted by two
voracious sharks—with a dark sky over head, and
no precise knowledge of the direction in which he
was going—no wonder he began to feel something
more than inquietude.
However strong may be the swimmer, he cannot
fail, after long keeping up such vigorous action as
it requires, to become fatigued and worn out ; the
more so When, like Costal, he caries a knife be-
tween his. teeth—thus impeding his free respira-
tion. But the ex-pearl diver did not think of part-
ing with the weapon—his only resource in case of
being attacked by the sharks—and still keeping
his lips closed upon it, he swam on. After a time
he felt his heart beating violently against his ribs.
He attributed this circumstance less to fear than
to the efforts he was making ; and, taking the knit's
from his mouth, he carried it in one of his hands.
The pulsations of his heart were not the less rapid ;
for it may be acknowledged without much shame
to him, that Costal now really felt fear. Moreover,
swimming with one hand closed, it was necessary
for him to strike more rapidly with the other. The
precaution taken of holding his knife ready in hand
was not likely to prove an idle one. The two
sharks appeared to be gradually converging upon
the line which the swimmer must take if he con-
tinued to swim directly onward.
On observing this convergence of his silent and
persevering pursuers, Costal suddenly obliqued to
the right. The sharks imitated his movement on
the instant, and swam on each side of him as before.
For a few minutes—long and fearful minutes—he
was forced to keep on in this new direction. He
began to fancy he was swimming out of the way
he should have taken ; and was about to turn once
more to the left, when an object came before his
eyes that prompted him to utter an ejaculation
of joy. In spite of himself, he had been guided
into the right direction by the very enemies
from whom he was endeavouring to escape ;
and it was the sight of the barges that had drawn
from him the joyful exclamation. The mo-
ment after he uttered a louder cry, hailing the
boats. He had the satisfaction of hearing a re-
sponse ; but as no one saw him through the dark-
ness, it was necessary for him to continue swimming
onwards. Bythis time the two sharks had closed
on each side, and were gliding along so near that
only a narrow way was open between them, Costal
felt that he had not sufficient strength to make a
detour; and the only course left him was to swim
straight to the nearest boat. He kept on, therefore,
his heart beating against his ribs, and with his knife
firmly held in his grasp, ready to bury the weapon
in the throat of the first that should assail him.
With the last efforts of his strength he lunged out
right and left, by voice and gesture endeavouring
to frighten off the two monsters that flanked him;
and he proceeded onward in this way like some
doomed ship, struggling between the black masses
of rocky breakers. By good fortune his efforts
proved successful. The hideous creatures, glaring
upon him with glassy eyeballs, were nevertheless
frightened by his menacing gestures, and for the
moment diverged a little out of his way. Costal
took advantage of this precious moment, and swim-
ming rapidly forward succeeded in clutching the
side of one of the barges. A dozen friendly arms
instantly drew him aboard, but as his comrades
`bent over him upon the deck they perceived that he
was unconscious. The effort had been too much for
his strength. He had sunk into a syncope.

"--
The unfortunhte ilst Regiment of the French
army is to be chastised for the involuntary disgraca it has
incurred in the mutilation of its flag, by being transferred
from Rome to Algiers,