Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-08-26

anu We NcIc On tue SFOunu. aICnOFt1 anu
with lines out before our competitors came up.
The lines used are of half inch rope-or the size
OF an ordinary I" clothes lne''-armed with stout
hooks OF wrought iron with heavy barbs. The
hooks are connected with the lines by a strong
iron chain of sufficient length to prevent the
savage fish from severing the cord with his teeth,
though sometimes an old shark is sagacious
enough 10 make dash towards the surface when
hooked, and intercepting mOuthful of the un-
protected line frees himself in a moment. Our
yacht was provided with six lines, about the
largest number that can be used safely from one
boat, and long before we reached the Shaking
ground those of the party who had secured hooks
were busy getting the lines straitened and the
hooks baited in readiness for the sport ofthe day
The matter of batting the hooks properly was
taken in hand by Captain Doughty's right and
left bowers, sturdy Frank Reynolds and sturdy
Tom Dunton. Half dozen large-sized sea-trout
(the" weak fish" of northern waters were halved
and strung upon each hook, with a supplement
tary appetizer in the way of a few "spots;" the
whole forming a mass of bait on the hook ample
for good-sized chOwder. The moment the
anchor was dropped, out went the hooks, and the
excited fishers, and the almost equally excited
spectators prepared themselves stirring times
and immediate business. But we had reached
the ground rather too soon. The tide was still
running out, carrying the lines far OFF to the
stern. Some minutes passed with no bites or
signs OF sharks, and some of our impatient ones
PECAN 70 express the opinion that shaking was
humbug. Then somebody sung ont
"BARNUM's GOT oNE!"
and looking to the nearest OF the two boats an
chored in our vicinity the commotion on board
and hurried pulling in of lines showed that they
had got the first bite. But while everybody was
on the strain to see what would take place at
Barnum's boat when the shark reached the sur
face, sudden shout from our Capt. Doughty
"Pull in your lines, everybody!"-showed that
we had game nearer home. Doughty was fishing
from the stern with a slender line half the usual
size, and with a smaller hook and he consequent
ly was obliged to play his shark carefully as If
in on him steadily but played ont the line again
| as often as the fish made a desperate bolt on
nearing the surface. The excitementwas great
| Revolvers were out for shot, clubs were raised
| for a blow at the monster the moment he should
| appear. Finally his struggles and bolts grew
less desperate, he was getting tired, and as the
line came in faulty foot by foot, there was
| CLEAN of the white belly and then or the
mouse-colored back of the monster through the
| green water. "DOn't strike" cried the captain,
until his nose is well out OF the water" but the
eager novices could not be restrained, and an in
efectual volley of shots, and some equally lnef-
| iecuye blows were leveled at his sharkship when
he was hardly at the surface. The consequence
was TIRE 1pendous splurge on his part that sent
| shower OF water over Us and compelled Captain
| Doughty TO let him take a fresh run. Again the
captain drew in carefully on his slender line
but some added weight, or complicated strain
seemed at first TO puzzle him and then TO excite
ms wrath. In the excitement of the moment
two OF our prentice sharkers had left their lines
an The lcdter and the result was that sharkey in
his last bolt had managed TO take a turn round
own in the most unpleasant manner. Captain
| Doughty, like Horace Greeley, doesn't swear,
but on this occasion he snapped his well-presery-
ed teeth together with a sort of
| DENTAL DAMN
| sufficiently audible. The carelessness of the
two greenhorns threatened not only the loss of
the shark, but of some ten or fifteen dollars
worth of hooks andlines 1t looked like a hone
less case, but Reynolds and Dunton were called
to the mismanaged lines, and with their aid the
captain was able by patient labor, accompanied
by curious and expressive contortions of his
wrinkled face, to extricate his line and save
his meat" The club this time was entrusted TO
the experienced hand of Reynolds and but a
single marksman was allowed to blaze away
with revolver. Yet IL required half a dozen
bullets in his brain, and protracted beating on
the head with a club in the powerful hands OF
Frank Reynolds, to even stun the shark suf-
fclently TO allow his being trailed forward and
pulled board; tenacious of life is this fierce
fish. He was raised to the deck, (forward0 and
though apparently ifeless, was dashed to the
mast; precaution that proved TO be of service
as he was either playing possum or revived suf
fciently TO make a tremendous flop or summer
sault by the aid of its powerful tail, that would
have carried him overheard but for the restrain
ing rope about his neck This antic Of his was
played while some of our party were pokinp
sticks at his eyes to see him draw up the curious
cold metallic eye. At the same time he seized a
club placed at his mouth with such a yiciOus
grip that it could not be dislodged. Then came
his vigorous flop, scattering his prosecutors right
and left, and sending a couple OF them, reached
by his vigorous tail, to the bottom of the boat
The sharks
STYLE OF BITING,
as illustrated by this wicked grab Of the club is
curious. Not only does his muzzle or nose pro-
ject over the mouth, but the latter makes so lit
Ia chnrV Vh c1ncaH that his al
be all upper jaw, and the mouth shows only as a
horseshoe shaped seam, just his glll-openings
appear to be nothing more than lateral Sits on
the side Of the head. When his mouth is thus in
Sepose, his formidable apparatus of many-rowed
teeth is laid back fat in sockets in the gums or
fieshy parts OF the mouth, that, to all appear
ances, he is toOthless and harmless. But when
he bites these rows OF teeth are brought up erect
by the muscles with which they are provided
and the jaws are brought together with a snap
Ike That OF stee-qap. He was of the va
stated the color is, on the back more like that of
a mouse, while the belly is white. AS the skin
dried in the sun it assumed a beautiful satiny
gloss; and blood started from the fins, gills. and
tail, apparently from the violence of his exer-
tions TO free himself This fellow was about seven
feet long, and the biggest one caught by us was
a little under ten feet. The smallest was about
two feet
"BABY SHARK"
as the boatman called him. He was pulled in
amidst great laughter at the expense of the
catcher, who imagined he had hooked a buster,
and who summoned the executioners hastily 20
his assistance. The clubs and pistols were sud-
denly lowered when the size of the prey was
visible, and the sharkist was permitted to pull
in his "baby shark without assistance. How
the voracious little fellow could manage 70
swallow the mass OF bait and the hook was
mystery.
Meantime the other boats were getting
bites and catching sharks, and at one time
the lively spectacle was presented of all three
boats having sharks hooked at the same mo-
ment. The other boats, too, had mishaps. In the
wild scurry OF shooting from Barnum's boat at
large shark, hooked and brought TO the sur
face, the line was shot in two and the shark es-
capped. The largest shark caught by the third
boat was lost after he had been pulled aboard
and left for dead, through the failure TO lash
him. Some time after he was caught he made A
leap over the side OF the boat, and though a
number OF shots were made at him, he got on
THE THIN WHISPERED MAN WHO CAUGHT THE
BIGGEST SHARK.
About this time squall' came up with rain,
spelling the fishing and compelling us to seek
Oh, he IA NJ "a