The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-01-09
DODGING A SHARK.

And the blood, like the sap of the roses,
Breaks into bud and flower.
DODGING A SHARK.
II think" said the skipper, one morn
ing at breakfast, as we were discussing
that meal in the cuddy of the "Calcut-
ta," then at anchor off the month of the
Ullua,-"I think we had better fill in
as we 60, so l shall send the boats CO.
committing. Would you like to go?"
with all my heart" I replied. I've
never been down among the lagoons,
and should like it above all things"
"I'm glad of that" said the skipper
-" for l shall not go myself. Pm not
ambitious of being stung to death by
mosquitoes; but as you have never
been down the coast, the novelty will
perhaps repay you for the pain"
IN run the chance of singing"
I retorted. "If we get strong sea-
breeze, we may happily escape these
little pests; but when do we start?
with the land-wind in the morning.
"All right! Who is to go?"
"The stevedore for one, because he
: knows the coast well; the rest you can
choose for yourself"
"Then | shall have Jones for one
He's handy and cooks well'
During the day 1 selected the rest of
my men, hauled the boats alongside,
and got everything ready for start,
which it was arranged should be about
three o'clock on the following morning
Central America is so little known
that, without casting any reflection on
the readers geographical knowledge, l
may assume that he was not quite clear,
when 1 said that the Calcutta was
at anchor off the mouth of the Ullua,
in what part of the globe that river is
situated
Close to the shores of the Gulf of
Honduras there is low, level track of
land, covered with immense forests,
through which runs the Rio Ullua, one
of the largest and most majestic streams
in that State. This river empties itself
into the sea in about fifteen deg. forty
five sec. N. latitude, and eighty-seven
deg. forty sec. West longitude. At its
mouth is an anchorage, where vessels
can ride in comparative safety, and
where, during certain months in the
year. is collected large feet of mer-
chant ships, waiting to be freightcd
with the mahogany which is cut in the
interior, and floated down the river
Among these vessels was the barquc
Calcutta" whose cargo was about
half completed.
Again, few of my readers will have
understood what the skipper meant by
filling in" or the necessity of procur-
ing cocoa-nuts for that purpose. l
must, therefore, explain that in loading
ships with mahogany, there are spaces
between the ends of the logs and the
fore and after parts of the ship, which,
to prevent the logs from shifting when
the ship is at sea, are filed with cocoa
nuts. 1t was to procure supply of
nuts for this purpose that and Peter
Byrnes, the stevedore, with ten men
and three boys, started on that August
morning. AS it was late in the season,
and all the nuts within short distance
of the rivers mouth had been gathered,
our destination was one of the lagoons
to the eastward of Punta de Sal, or as
we should call it in English, Salt Point,
about twelve or fifteen miles along the
coast.
We "knocked out at half past two
and though, overnight, every one had
looked forward to it as pleaeant trip,
there was still no small amount Of
grumbling when the time came for turn
ing out ; indeed, l cannot with justice
say that, when the steward poked his
head into my berth to call me, l gave
him very corteous reception. l ceased
to Grumble, however, when 1 got on
deck, for the extraordinary beauty OF
the scene which met my view amply
repaid me for my broken slumber.
1t was one of Natures most glorious
pictures. Above, a world of luminous
stars spangled the armament, all OF
which were reflected with extraordinary
fidelity and brilliancy in the calm blue
waters. The ship seemed floating on q
sea Of stars. This, however, was not
all. The moon had just disappeared in
the west, leaving behind her streak Of
bright light, which still chung to the
horizon, showing distinctly the undula.
tions of the ground swell in the offing,
as sharply defined as if they had been
cut out of paper, and pasted against
the sky.
The men were told off into the boats
and we pushed off. What an extraor
binary feeling is that which those in q
boat experience when at night they sal
away from a large ship! The boat ap
pears to be stationary, while the grea
black hull and the tall masts seem t.
melt away and disappear. All this
experienced as we left the old Cal
cutta )" at her anchorage: but very sool
the ripping of the water under tn
boats bows dispelled the notion tina
we were stationary, and an hour after
wards daybreak found us far advanced
on our expedition.
About six o'clock, after good dea
of coquetry, the breeze failed US alto
gether, and we had to take to our oars
The sea was calm; not ripple or {
flaw broke the glass-like expanse, excep
now and again, when shoal of skip
jacks, scared by the noise of the oars
leaped above the. surface, and afte
skimming the water for a short dis
tance, fell like glittering shower o
silver into the sea.
! know not if it is so with others, bu
with me every phase of nature has it
peculiar excellency, and the bright anc
varied panorama which surrounded
mo and tho hooutv NJ tho ooaan,c he'd