Little Falls transcript., 1878-08-22
Written for the Transcript.
Experience of ssSinbad' III the NAVY,
1Contsnued} from last w..l.$; i 4 II,

peot to be, except----.---.--, we'll never
mind. On arriving off where Acapul>
GO is supposed to be, the ship makes q
bee line for the shore, but the observ.
er can see no har5or Or city. Close
to the water there are two mountains
which appear to join, but on arriving
at the base Of these mountains mars
row channelis found between the two,
which leads into the harbor Of Acapul>
co. If = hurricane should be blowing
outside, the waters Of this harbor
would remain as smooth as q mirror
no breath Of air reaches it, at least it
did not while I was there. Our next
stopping place was Magdalena Bay IN
Lower California. There is. no settles
ment here, and we only stopped to fish.
Our ship was provided with large
seine, with which we went ashore and
caught at one haul enough to last the
whole ships company for four meals.
At another haul we caught nothieg
but few devil fish and shark of the
shovel-nosed species, about eight feet
long. After considerable trouble we
succeeded in getting him on the beach :;
and one Of the men, wishing, I suppose,
to show his agility, drew bis knife and
jumped astride of the shark, and was
about to drive the knife into his neck
when the shark turned on his side, gave
a flop with his tail and sent Mr.. man
about ten feet head foremost into the
sand. He didn't repeat the exper>
iment. After spending a few days
here We sailed for San Francisco.
Two days out from Magdalena Bay the
intermittent fever broke out on board,
aud by the time we reached Frisco
there were only eight of us to work
the ship. She was at once taken to
Mare Island navy yard and put in dry
dock. The crew were put in the hos
pital, and all soon recovered. We re-
mained here until our ship had been
thoroughly overhauled, scraped, clean
ed, painted and provisioned afresh,
and then started for our ''statiou,"
which was the South Pacific. During
tie balance of the cruise we sailed upI
and down the coast, stopping a week
or two in each port, and then away TO
another ; so hereafter I shall not fol-
low the ship from port to port, but
give few of the most striking incl
dents of the cruise. A few miles
south of Panama we visited one of the
places where those beautiful gems,
pearls, the emblems of purity, are
found, or rather 6shed for, the Pearl
Islands. We went down the coast 10
Ecuador, up the Guayaquil river to
the city Of that name, situated, as you
may see by reference to the atlas, nea,
the equotor, at the foot of Chimborazo
one of the loftiest mountains in thu
world. It was interesting and won
derful to live in a country clothed ii
perpetual verdure, and cast your eye
to the top Of the mountain and see i
clothed in ice and snow forever.
1t was the custom in these tropica
countries TO allow those of the crew
who wished to go in bathing to do 81
after sundown. It was also necessar,
| to keep two men stationed on the pad
die box, with loaded rifles, to Keep a
watch tor sharks which are sometime
dangerous. On this particular ocea
sion "Sinbad" was in swimming viii
the rest, and being no more afraid 0
water at that time, than he now is o
gunpovder, was some distance frou
the ship enjoying himself hugely.
My enjoyment was changed to ter
ror by hearing the cry from the look
out of "A shark A shark r. I struck
out for the paddle wheel at my bes|
rate of speed, had nearly reached
when, glancing to my left, l saw tn
;gllmmer in the water of some hug
}greenish white object making for me
l expected to be devoured or at leas
cut in two. I already felt in imagina
tion the keen teeth Of the shark tear
ing my flesh, and I redoubled nay ex
ertions. I heard the report of two r,
aes, my land touched the frame of tn
wheel, DIRE" myself with
IN its confines, everything turne'
black to my sight, and knew no NOR
till I opened my eyes on deck. I va
soon myself again, and on asking no,
it happened was told by the lookou
that I was the farthest from the shi
tand the last one to reach it, that th
shark had apparently singled me on
for a meal, had made dive at m
when near the wheel, and would sure
| y have gained his supper bat for tn
rifle shots. This shark was afterwar
caught with i large piece Of pork at
tached to asgrappel 1t took six rifl
balls. through the head to Kill him; b
measured twelve feet ii length, an
when opened there was not evea
sardine in his stomach. =. But lie cam IAN
near getting "sucker." ..z+ ...<.* ,.zs *=
/ To be continued.1
Milwaukee Beer at VAsALY's.