Du Buque visitor. [volume] (Dubuque, Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1836-1837, 1836-06-01
A CHAPTER ON sHARKING.
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A CHAPTER ON sHARKING.
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This is carrying the joke too far
said l, imploringly.
$50 far, indeed rejoined Ned, with
provoking smile, that we shall not
touch terra frma so soon as Jonah did,
unless our pilot soon wcaries Of this
tack, and puts about directly
sWeariesH echoed the excited har-
pooner; why, the critter ID tow us clear
round the world ag'n wind and tide,
ten knot an hour. There's no SIGH thing
as tucscring out yourraal white shark
he's all bone and sinners. AS to his
wearing ship, he'll show no SIGH navi-
cation, guess, till he gets into blue
4 water, and then his tack III be bolt
downward, like looscd anchor
4 think l can bar his progress, some
what, before he clears the sound,' re-
piled Ned, as bracing himself firmly,
he plunged an oar deep into the recur-
rent water; but the little shaft was
] wrenchcd from his powerful grasp in
an instant: before he could think of it's
recovery, it was floating an hundred
yards in our wake. 'Festieant quos
festival diubolus,' laughed Ned, re-
gaining hisseat, those go swift whom
the devil speeds
'Pray take my advice now entrcat-
ed |, sand cut loose from the creature
Immediately: we have but one oar left,
and shall have to scull all the way back
against the ebb tide
mo, no. cried Hal, my mind don't
head that way, any how: sorry to come
across your hawser, MIR. Landon, but
'twould he too bad, by jug-full, to
be out-winded by lubberly fish, lose
/ our haraoon- and warp, and be laughed
at int the bargain by every yawhaw-
ing land-loafer, about the borough
Never mind that, commodore re-
] turned Ned, commissioning my unca-
siness,-snever mind trifle; we shall
have had ride that Neptune himself
might envy, and, what will please you
more, return the Procellara toport, safe
and sound, saving and excepting the
said tail-feather!'
'Jest as you say, not's | care rcpli-
ed Hal, with an ill-maskcd assent: 'cut
away the grapplings, then, and let's go
about, sim the wind sets in that quar-
ter
But to 'become better strangers with
our submarine acquaintance was not SO
feasible in the premises, for by singu-
lar contingency of ways and means
there was not so much as penknite
between us, and hence to effect solu-
ton Of continuity, under present cir
cumstanccs, was matter for delibera-
ton. While we were bordering the
emergency, our abstraction was arous-
ed by the scream Of Boat ahoy! fol-
lowed simultaneously by Kissing and
tremendous outburst of steam, seeming
~ not yard of, and on recovering
from enhancement, we cau'ta glimpse
Of one Of the sound steamboats,, direct
" athwart and within reach of whose
foaming bow we had Just been sped in
our passive and frightful precipitancy.
Thank God!' cried we all in one
grateful breath; sand thank the pilot
too, of that floating furnace continu-
ed Hal. for hadn't he hauled his steam
less than no time, Davy would ha' had
three more gulls hislocker fore now
We had scarcely congratulated our
selves on thus escaping fIom the very
jaws of Scylla, before we found our
selves dashing upon the brink Of Cha
\ !yodis. This was fleet Of some twen-
Y canoes thronged with Montauk In
6ians' ofboth sexes, returning from a
lowing expedition to the outer shores
OF Long Island. They had lust round
ed the Point, and had been lying-to
for the last ten minutes directly in the
line of our course, as if spell-bound al
the supernatural spectacle Of our wiz
zard skiff bearing down upon them with
such unwonted impctuosity, and that
too without any visible propulsion of
sail or oar. Before they had got the.
better of their establishment, we plung-
ed into the midst of the motley group,
and thoughour whirlwind sojourn was
but momentary, we made a. most stri-
King impression while it lasted. as was
evident from theAplintcring Of the los
t|ed canoes, the crashing q: a. nat