Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1877-09-13
A TALE OF THE SEA.
A Captains Story Of a Thrilling Adventure
With Shark,

With Shark.
From the San Francisco Post]
In 1886, Captain Blank-the captain does
| not wish his name mentiOned-Was first mate
| OF whale ship cruising out OF New Bedford.
The " llliam King Was one OF those Old-tash.
ioned tubs peculiar to the last century, sailing
equally well either way, bow or stern. OH
Telegraph Hill, near San Francisco, a school
of whales was raised, led by an immense bull
and steering in a nortkerly direction. Two
boats were at once lowered, but they had
scarcely touched the water when the school
parted, one part running north, the other
south. Capt. Blanks boat followed one band,
while Jim Watson, the mate, followed the
other. The Captains boat had crew of
magnificent oarsmen they laid to their work
with a will, and after an hours pull came
within range of the bull. Captain Blank got
sounded and went down at speed which al
most eQualled that of the late ''lightnlng
express train. The line ran out with deaf
ening hum; the loggerhead smoked, and the
boat laid her bows deep in the water. Sud-
denly the strain ceased, the whale was CON-
ing up, and every eye conned the seas for a
glimpse of the monster. He came up like q
rocket, struck the boat on the keel amidships
with his nose, and hurled it thirty feet in the
air. AS it descended, it capsiZed, and fell
bottom uppermost. The men Immediately
swan for it, and, with the exception of the
Captain, reached it, where they squatted,
holding on the keel and presenting the ap-
pearance of lot of penguins nesting on a
chunk If ke]p. The Captain swan also up
but, finding the keel crowded, resolved not to
risk an upsetting by venturing upon it. So
he put an oar under each arm, and, treadlng
water, kept near the boat, cheering the crew,
who, as was natural to men in their situation
were nervous and downhearted. They float
ed this way several minutes, and were gradu-
ally getting over the first shock, when the
stroke oarsman, gigantic negro, called out,
''Look dar, shark" Nothing so horrifes q
sailor as the appearance of that ravenous fish
in hours of peril. The crew looked and saw
a huge bottle-nosed shark floating apparently
not more than fathom below the ulface.
The Captain saw the monster also, and felt
his chances of escape dwindle to cipher;
nevertheless, he did not lose courage, and
instead of Fastening the event which seemed
beyond prevention, resolved to escape 1t it
possible. He knew that shark would never
bite at an unsteady bait. The nose of the
creature is in its way; it must turn on its side
to snap, and then only when the object is
stationary. 1t may be 50 for second only,
but that is enough; the shark darts like
lightning, and in moment seizes its
prey. The Captain knew this, and
knew his only salvation depended on his keep
ing constantly in motion. The least pause
would be fatal, so with the two oars under his
arms he kept atloat, moving about necessarily
bis eyes fixed on the dark monster beneath
him, which followed wherever he moved.
Such a situation would be apt to affect the
senses terribly, yet the Captain says he was
never calmer, never less troubled, and never
less afraid of death. His mind, however,
was unusually active; every circumstance OF
his life came betord him with the clearness
of MONDAY. The scenes of his youth in par
ticular passed before him in vivid coloring.
He saw the old farmhouse in which he was
born-the hills, woods and meadows sur
rounding it; the distant village, the church
spire, the flocks on the plains, the winding
river, the cows browsing in the fields he
heard the clatter of the mill, the songs of the
mowers, the birds singing in the groves, and
the gun echoing among the hills. He heard,
too, the voice of one dearer to him than all
on earth the voice of one-but all this took
place while a rapaci0us monster was floating
within few feet of him, waiting for a mo-
ment's pause in his movements to rend him
in pieces! ., u,
wrecked men, approached the Captain. who
ordered his men to shoot by him at full speed,
and as it passed he would grasp it and spring
in, the critical moment being when he would
lose motion and the shark would be likely TO
seize him. However, that risk must be taken.
The mate faithfully carried out his orders.
The men strained every sinew. They were
whalemen, and such, topgallant oarsmen,
and the speed at which they sent that boat
driving through the water would have
shamed the fight of the swiftest sea bird.
The boat itself was scarcely seen, buried in
double wall of foaming spray, the oars bend
ing like reeds and the gunwales quivering at
each stroke 1t took a steady nerve, an eagle
glance, and lightning grasp to secure the
flying craft; but the Captain had these, and
as it passed, seized the starbord gunwale, and
was thrown like shot into the boat. At the
same instant the sharks head rose above the
water, and its jaws snapped with sound au-
llible for considerable distance. The Cap |
tain, as he himself remarked, escaped ''only
by a scratch y the moment he was stationary |
the shark snapped at him, the velocity OF his
subsequent motion only saving him from a
hideOus death.
A GREAT temperance revival is at present
1t work in the city of Toronto, Ont Five
out of twenty-five columns of the leading |
journals are given up to the great reform
which is taking place. One correspondent |