The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-06-07
Australian Fish Stories.

Australian Fish STORES.
This story, which is doubtless still told
at the Bolivia station, where the facts oc-
Cured, can hardly be called depression,
as it brings me back to the fish world.
Let me shift my venue again to Botany
Bay, and mention one or two adventures
with sharks of the largest size. There is
something grim and CHASTITY, almost ap
palling, in the aspect of one of these
monsters, as seen through the clear wa
tiers of summer sea. 1t hardly looks
substantial, like solid flesh and blood;
but its huge dimensions wear faint tint
and vaguely dim outline; it shows itself
tar beneath the boat like gigantic gray
shadow, such as might we'll send "a shud-
der through the sea-" till on sudden,
without any visible movement, the hide
Gus shape rises almost to the surface,
fairly reaching perhaps, as l have twice
seen it, from stem to stern. On the
former of these occasions we were
party of four, my shark-slaying friend
D. being one, while our two guests were
no less personages than the Governor and
his Secretary, Mr.. T. We had started
early, and made decent bag of flat
heads, with a few ''6ddlers" aud school,
sharks, in the forenoon; but as the sun
rose high, with slight ground swell up
the bay, the sport slackened, and the
heat and glare became very trying
Broad leaved hat and puggrie were no
defence against the fiercer sunshine re-
fected from the CLASSY though heaving
surface; all the party, save my we'll sea-
soned and indefatigable cousin, had
grown hot and lazy, some of us little
squalmish, and orr visitors had laid by
their lines Suddenly there was shout
from D.: Heaven and earth, what a
shark F.. T.! look here" Leaning
over the gun-wale, we saw the shadow
bulk, full fifteen feet in length, and very
broad toward the shoulders, stretching
along some three fathoms below the boat
l had seen nothing like it before, and
the sight of the ''gruesome thing" rather
made my flesh creep. But D. had al
ready picked out our strongest shark line,
and bent on to it a hook made especially
to his order, not very large, but deep in
the barb, and of perfect strength and
temper, which was wire-lapped on trace
some four feet long, made of dozen
strands of tough brass wire. Batting in
haste, he heaved it over where it would
sink in the creatures view, while We
looked anxiously on in the hope that it
might be seized. But no; the enemy
moved off without appearing to notice
the bait and feared he had taken alarm.
In two or three minutes, however, there
he was again, having learned, | suppose,
from long experience, to prefer taking
live fish off the smaller lines. But d.
was not to be beaten. He doubled his
bait, adding q mullet to the large black
fish already on the hook, and then cast it
far away over the bows in the direction
in which the shark had last disappeared.
Another minute, and he was again gliding
away on the same course, and, directly
after, d. whispered rather than exclaimed,
HE has it! he is turning it overt
"Barker! up killick; see all clear; he's
off with itw Then vicious tug to fix
the hook, and a long breath when be
found the fish was fast He already an
ticipated the time when the monster
would have tired himself with towing
the boat, and could be brought
within reach Of the lance. Meanwhile it
was just question of holding on, unless
sudden rush made it necessary to give
line. The shark was drawing slowly
away, and DIS arms were rudely strained
- the boat yielded to the steady pull and
began to follow. "Now, T." said my
veteran friend, as he felt the stress on his
arms slightly eased; "you said you longed
to feel the tug of big shark; here you
may have it and no mistake" T.
eagerly grasped the shark line, q
small but strong rope, and threw his
weight more and more on it ~ it was
gradually yielded to his entire control.
Calamity he held on, but alas, the fates
were against him. There was q sudden
slackening. almost throwing him of his
balance, the fish had headed round, and
VS. making rush in toward the boat
ssHsul in, haul in quickl" shouted D., -
Ne saw the move, but there vas no time.
Quicker than the line could Be gathsrsd
i, ~ sAask brought Il up in long lap.
Gkonking inward BE showed his uGly -