The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1854-02-23
)RT. SCOTT CO., IOWA; THURSDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1854

he follows the vessel, with his keen lttl
n eyes fixed on the man at the helm in tn
hope that he may chance to fall oyerboard.
And now that am on the subject o
6 sharks, let me tell you Of an adventure had
It was while l was at Pensacola, summe
before last. Two officers Of the navy and
went to the mouth Of river which enter.
into the gulf, to catch fish. We imprudently
started in a small round-bottomed canoe
keeping close to the shore till we arrived
at the river, when we ventured out into
water many fathoms in depth. We had
scarcely arrived there, when we raw tha,
the water was alive with sharks. They
saw US too, and Immediately they began to
devise ways and means to get us out Of the
canoe. This was easily accomplished, and
at it they went. With tremendous surge
one of the monsters darted toward the little
canoe, and wheeling suddenly under it, gave
| it strike with his tail. The little canoe
would heave over to one side, dip water, and
almost fill. With our hats we bailed for
| life, while one of us padded for the beach
| Again another shark would dart forward and
play the same un-laughaJle trick, and again
we would bail out for life. This game was
continued with persistent assiduity by the
sharks, and several times we came within
an inch of going in their huge jaws. Final
ly, after having really given up all hopes of
ed freely. The officers said my face was
red after we had got out of danger. II so
it was through severe labor on hot day, for
was SO intent OH my duty, that until we
had escaped the danger, scarcely had time
to appreciate it fully, I know that the
officers faces were as pallid as corpse,
and they had not been rendered SO without
ample eau e, for no death can be more ter
ribe than to be devoured piecemeal by
we kept in shoal water! soon discovered
that there was difference between gazing
upon porpoises devouring mullets, and upon
sharks striving to eat people. The latter
was not quite so laughable, although it may
have been very facetious to the sharks.
The Bay Of Pensacola is ful! of sharks.
few days before | arrived there, two
gentlemen and a lady were standing on the
pier looking into the bay. A sudde, gust
of wind carried the lady into the water.
With the characteristic galantry of the
southerner, both gentlemen sprang in after
her, although one OF them was a stranger to
both the other persons. They were never
seen afterwards-that il, the gentlemen, as
the lady's body came up,.with both legs bit
ten Of
| While | was there man took off his
clothes at the far end of the pie:, for the
purpose Of diving in. He was warned Of
sharks, but with sneer, said that he was
not afraid of all the sharks in the bay. He
dved in, and was never seen afterwards.
Still you will witness boys in bathing al
most every evening, but they keep in shoal
water.
| once started from the Navy Yard to
Pensacol~. We had t. sail miles across
the bay. We were Ga boy and myself in
small sktf with large sail. When We
had got about half across the bay, one of
those gales so characteristic of southern lat
tudes, suddenly sprang up. The wind
whisted past, bowling Ike some wild ami
NAL, while the waters were dashed into fury
and splashed into the skiir as fit had been
a cookie she'll We furled our sail, but
had to resort to bailng with our hats, and
thus for more than an hour we worked, be-
fore our fral vessel was drifted to land.
This is a marine letter, and as find my
self in the writing mood, am determined to
bore..you still farther. have become just
sailor enough to know how to spin long
yarns. Having that sailors weakness, you
will have to adapt yourself TO sailors pre-
rogatiye, and allow me to continue until my
reel is wound off.
But did not finish my description Of the
sights to be seen on the ocean. There is
nothing so cheering and buoyant to the
feelings, as to sail on the ocean. | have
heard persons assert that an ocean voyage
was monotonous To those persons the
sterile plain filled with valuable mineral
ogical speeimens-the green field, the resort
of rare chronological curiosities, or the dull
labratory, whittier among its dusty a nd
dirty bottles, crucibles and retorts, thou
sand brilliant and glorious experiments and
discoveries lurk-to such person. say, all
these would present monotony; but to that
ripe intellect, schooled to interpret Gods
wondrous secrets-to discover beauty amid
deformtv and wealth amid steri!ity, the
ocean presents continued scenes of wonder
and beauty.
The little nautilus with its sails OF azure,
like miniature fleets on the sapphire water,
is superb sight to look upon. In ancient
times, when the old seas aboundcd with the
Icthvosaurus and the Dinotherium, the little
nautilus sailed on the water, and amid the
new born light sported with its companion
the Ammonite. But the latter has disap-
,o,red from ryistence millions of wears ago,