The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-08-30
SHADOWEO BY A SHARK.
a.a,,,;rp Incident in the Life of a Veteran
Whaler. To- st&
i From the San Francisco Post.l ~

s Capt. Blank is retired son OF Nep-
"a .,as He resides at the Mission in a
n s0nse % covered with honeysuckle, where
81 s,,twenty wears he has laid up out of
ss.;ye, service. He is brimful of sea
~ vsrns, and when in the mood can reel
III sfa Strand that would do credit to the
III nast sensational boy. His favorite
N rsrd. however, is of the shark order,
al .rd as # comes within three leagues of
81 tbe coast may be reckoned sufficiently
N domestic. to warrant publication. In
Il Iss6 CAPT. Blank-the Captain does not
a vish his name lnentioned-was first
4 mate of q whaleship cruising out of
IA Now Bedford. The Williara- King was
N ma Of those old-fashioned tubs peculiar
dl to the last century, sailing equally well
MI either way, bow or stern. She was
dl coIamanded by Rufus Hatch, bluff
II New Englander, who had done little
,I Else than spit whales the best part of
III hyvears. He had two mates, Capt.
M Blauk and Jim Watson, the latter. a
u tbick-headed SQUAD of a fellow, always
II bundering, but, like most blunderers,
II Of an amiablc nature, and owner of a
= heart as big as tar barrel. The crew
T were e makeups," hard, soft and wild
n eases from, every quarter of the globe;
III the cook, as usual, an African, and the
~ steersnari and stroke oarsman natives
vi Of the extreme East, Yanks to the back
AL bone, shrewd, wiry and keen as razor
MI water. Such were the men who hunted
n blubber in the William King. The " off
NJ shore ground' was their usual haunt,
n but this season whales were shy, the
q catch poor, and prospect cloudy so they
W. squared away to the northward, intend
3 ine to try bout with blowers of the
VI Polar seas off Pitcairn's Island. A gale
III nabbed them and sent the venerable oil
M case bowling before it with wall Of
"a foam ten feet high before her nose. 1t
: made some work for the riggers, for her
q mpeIeear was asrotten as the inner man
II ofa champion sinner. Her top sides
I also suffered, and she began to be as wet
i inside as she was outside The blow
,,1 easing a little, her Captain thought. he
.a would lay his craft ashore and put a
N stopper On some of the worst leaks. So
II he for San Francisco Bay, where he
vi listed his ship under the lee of the tall
Z dome now known as Telegraph Hill,
n cured the leaks, relisted her, and put
out As the tub wabbled over the. bar a
i school Of whales was raised, led by an
n immense bull,l and steering in a north
a erly direction. Two boats were at once
Il, lowered, but they had scarcely touched
III the water when the school parted, rone
Al part running north, the other south
u Capt. Blanks boat followed one band,
III while Jim Watson, the mate, followed the
other. The Captains boat had a crew of
n magnificent oarsmen; they laid to their
J work with d will, and, after an hours
4, pull, came within range of the bull.
NJ capt. Blank got an iron into him in
n shortorder, the fish sounded and went
n down at a.speed which almost equaled
n that OF the late "lightning express -
VI uan. The line ran out with a deafening
n mum; the loggerhead smoked, and the
n GOAT laid her bows deep in the water
= suddenly the strain ceased, the whale
was coming up. and every eye conned
q me ~ seats for glimpse of the monster.
n ne came up like a rocket, struck the
=, Ooat on the keel amidships, with his
q nose, and hurled it thirty feet into the
q ar AS it descended, it capsized, and
q @ll, bottom uppermost The men inn
q mealately swan for it, and, with the ex-
q cepdon of the Captain, reached it,
q wnere they squatted, holding on the
heel and presenting the appearance of a
n 70, or penguins nesting on a chunk of
u sep The Captain. SWAN also up, but,
aaalng the keel crowded, resolved not
n ansk an upsettihg by venturing upon
~ 90 ne put an oar under each arm,
ala, treadlng water, kept near the boat,
.neeihg the crew, who. as was natural
b mens N their, situation, were nervous
81 auu downhearted. They, floated this
Wy several minutes, and were gradually
ssse,ng over the first shock, when the
81 saoAe- oarsman, a gigantic negro, call
81 - oat, "Look dar, sharkt', Moth
g .ne 50 horrifies sailor as the appear
4 aace Of that ravenous fish in hours of
81 pe.l,. The crew looked and saw huge
Oo.'le-nosed OO shark floating apparently
a ny more than a fathom below the sur
u ase. lhe Captain saw the monster
Sso, ana felt his chances of escape
a Salaoie Ss to-a cipher; nevertheless he
Sso! 10! lose courage, and instead OF
ras'ssnlng rassg the event which seemed be-
q s'na prevention, resolved to escape it
mi possible. He knew that a shark
81 noa. "an never bite at an unsteady bait. The
81 m, use VI the creature is in its way; it
o0ls Ise nrn on its side to snap, and then
ma,. a.i WAen s the object is stationary, /. 1t
81 an.n as &c SO Tor a second only, but this is
a md sdhe shark darts like lightning,
q Csnts;ra 6 laoment seizes its prey. The
aIra.: Irsain Knew this, and knew his only
ssrsl: sslon depended on his keeping con-
he hs.s fs.s,f IN motion. The least pause would
n s,,.' as'af' soiwith the two oars under his
4 essas ns ne Kept ahoat, moving about in
SssdHllF. his avac 6voI ~, - = a. - -, -,