The weekly Butte record., 1862-01-18
Unpleasant Swimming Companions.
By CAPTAIN XAYNE REID.

will soon compd him TO return 10 the attack.
When the Indian, therefore, rose to the surface
Of the water-remembeFing his old practice as
a pearl diver-he cast around him a glance Of
caution Having shouted back to his eompan-
ion in misiortgne some words which the latter
had indstiuctl3 heard, he placed his knife
between his teeth. and swan straight onward
1t was not fear that caused him TO take this
precautlon 1t was merely an act of habitua
prudence. As he struck out from the canoe,
he perceived thai two monsters of the deep, far
more formidable than thoseaaf the forest. were
proceeding in the same direction as himself
One was about twenty feet from him on the
right; the other appeared at an equal distance
on his left and both eyideltly attending upon
him. Unpleasant as two such companions
might be deemed, the swimmer at first paid
but little attention 10 their movements. His
mind was pre-occuped with variety of other
thoughts - especially with the doubt as to
whether he might be able to find the barges
midst of the profound darkness, II would be but
too easy to pass without perceiving them, and
very difficult indeed to find them. This ap-
prehension, combined with those fearless habits
in the water which he had contracted while
following the life OF a pearl Overland fur
thermore his belief in positive fatalism-all
united in rendering 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 right or left,
and glanced in the direction OF his compdgnonS
du royage He could not help perceiving
moreover that at each instant the sharks were
drawing nearer to him. By vigorous stroke
on the water he now raised his body high
over the surface and, there balancing for a
moment, 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 another to the
left, showed him the two fearful creatures 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. How
ever bold man may be, there are moments
when danger must necessarily cause him fear.
Costal was in a position sufficiently perilous
to have unnerved most men, Swimming in
the midst of rising sea-beyond sight of land
or any other object-escorted by two vors
cious sharks-with dark sky overhead, aud
no precise knowledge of the direction in which
he was going-no wonder he began to feel
something more than lnquietude. However
strong may be 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 carries a
knife between his teeth-thus impeding his
free respiration. But the expearl diver did
not think Of parting with the weapon-his
only resource in case of being attacked by the
sharks-and still keeping his lips closed upon
it, he swan on. After q time, he felt his heart
beating violently against his ribs. He attrib-
uted this circumstance less to fear than to the
efforts he was making; and taking the knife
from his mouth, be carried it in one of his
hands; ; for it may be acknowledged, without
much shame to him, that Costal now really
felt fear. Moreover, swimming with one hand
closed, II was necessary for him to strike more
rapidly with The other. The precaution of
holding his knife ready in hand, was not likely
to prove an idle one. The two sharks appear
ed gradually converging upon the line which
the swimmer must take, if he continued to
swim directly onward. On observing this con-
vergance of his silent and perseyering pursuers,
Costal suddenly obliqued 10 the right.
The sharks initiated his movement on the
instant, and swan on each side Of him as before.
For few mnltes-long and feurful minutes
he was forced to keep on in this new dircc-
ton. 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 d.
rection by the very enemies from whom he was
eudeavoring TO escape and it was the sight of
the barges that had drawn from him the joyful
exclamation. The moment he uttered louder
cry, haling the beats, be had the satisfaction
of hearing a response but as no one saw him
through the darkness, it was necessary for him
to continue swimming onwards By this time
the two sharks had closed on each side, ard
were gliding along so near. that only narrow
way was open between them. Costal felt that
he had not strength enough to make detour
and the only course left him was to swim
straight for the nearest boat. He kept on
therefore, his heart beating against his ribs,
and with his knife held firmly in his grasp