Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-11-04
Escane from n Shark.

Hardy, IN "Iravels through Mexico"
gives the following lively account, of an
escape from a shark:
1.-The Placer de la Piedra Nevada,
which is near Loretta, was supposed 10
have quantities of very large pearl-oys-
ters around it-a supposition which was
at once confirmed by the great difficulty
of finding this sunken rock. Don Pab.
10, however, succeeded in sounding It,
and, in search of specimens of The larges.
and oldest shell, dived down in eleven
fa.homs Of water. The rock is no. a.
bove l60 or 200 yards in circumference
and our adventurer swan and examined
it in all directions, but without induce
ment to prolong his stay. Accordingly,
being satisfied that there were no oysters,
he thought of ascending to the surface of
;;ine water; bu, first he cast @ iook up
wards, as all divers do for monsters. II
the coast is clear, they may then rise
without apprehension. Don Pablo, how
ever, when he cast hasty glance up,
wards, found that tintetero had taken a
station about three or four yards imme-
diately above him, and, most probably,
had been watching the whole time that
he had been down.
A double pointed stick is a useless
weapon against iintetero; as its mouth
is Of such enormous dimensions that both
man and stick would be swallowed TO.
gether. He, therefore, felt himself rather
nervous, as his retreat was completely in
.erceDted. But, under water time is too
precions TO be spent in reflection, and
therefore, he swan around to another
part of the rock, hoping by this artifce to
avoid the vigilance of his prosecutor
What was his dismay when be again
looked up to find the pernicious tinte,ero
still lowering over him, as hawk would
follow bird! He described him as hay.
ing large, round, and infamed eyes, ap-
parenly just ready TO dart from their
sockets with eagerness, and the mouth
a, the recollection of which he still shud-
dered-that wus constantly opening and
shutting, as If the monster was already,
in imagination, devouring his victim, or,
at least, that the contemplation of his
prey impaired foretaste of the gout!-
Two alternatives now presented them
selves to the mind of Don Pablo; one, to
suffer himself to be drowned, the other
to be eaten. He had already been un-
der water SO considerable time, that he
found it impossible any longer to retain
his breath, and was on the poin, of Civ
ing himself up for lost with as much
philosophy as he possessed. But what
is dearer than life!
The invention of man is seldom at a
loss TO find expedients for its preserva-
ton in cases of great extremity. On a
sudden he recollected that on one side of
the rock he observed sandy spot, and
to this he swan with all imaginable
speed-his attentive friend still watching
his movements, and keeping measured
pace with them. As soon as he reached
the spot, he commenced stirring it with
his pointed stick, in such way that the
fine particles roso, and rendered the wa
ter perfectly turbid, so that he could not
ste the monster, For the monster him.
Awaiting himself of the cloud by which
he and the tintetero were enveloped, he
swan very far out in transverlical di-
rection, and reached the surface in safe
ty, although completely exhausted. For
lunately he rose close to one of the boats,
and those who were within, seeing him
in such state, and knowing that an en-.
envy must have been prosecuting him,
and tina. by some arlifice he had saved
his life, jumped overheard, as is their
common practice in such cases, TO fright
en- the creature away by splashing in The
water; and Don Pablo was taken into
the boat more dead than alive.