The news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1882-1891, 1882-09-28
sHARK1Ne AT NANTUcK ct.

SHARKING AT NANTUCKET.
The hunting of the shark, by it's
excitement and colossal dimensions,
about corresponds to the noble chase
Of the buffalo or the grizzly on shore,
and is an experience we'll worth travel
ling to Nantucket for. Every self
respecting tourist carries home a
sharks jaw or some of TIE sharks
curved teeth az trophies, and small
boys have their wonderful pockets
filed with assorted teeth and scraps
of sharks skin, on which they shar-
pen their jack-knives as on SO many
whetstones. To catch a shark you
stop the boat while out blue-fshing
and drop the line down in those shoal
places off shore where the sharks
chiefly lie in wait, but the blue-fsh.
ing company generally object to this
and prefer to stay by their original
spot. A better way, and one more
partaking Of the typical island flavor,
is to sail down the harbor to the little
peninsula of Wanwinet and, crossing
the narrow strip of sand, re-embark
in an old whale boat and at mile of
shore drop anchor at the favorite sum-
mer resort Of the sharks.
Hunting the shark is the nearest
approach to "sitting on a mountain
to bob for whale" since the Nor
Cross boys present you with 200 feet
OF stout clothesline and an iron meat
hook for tackle, and impale eight or
ten perch on the long barbed hook
for bait. When our nine lines were
streaming out from the boats side,
and each one was braced for the COM
ing struggle, first one female head
and then second was bent In pen
sive attitude by the gunwhale. My
own head was swimming, and sea and
sky were rolling together, when a
shout from the man in the bow drove
every such notion and sensation
away, and we all stood up and shouted
with excitement.
The rope came slowly in, and soon
the big fish was laundering on the
surface, churning the waters white all
around, and drenching us with tAe
spray. The Norcross boy seized a
club, his brother held the line, and
after succession of blows on his
pointed nose, the shark was hauled
aboard, its jaws wide open and its
ravenous career ended.
After this first catch there was a
subdued excitement all around and
no one thought of the ground swell
again. The Harvard prize man an
nounced that he thought he had a
bite, and hauling in his line cautious
ly, found a little yellow crab cIawing
at the tempting bait. The shout Of
laughter was drowned by my own
shrek Of victory, as there came a
jerk from the other end Of my rope.
1t may be cruel and murderous sport,
but there is savage excitement in
waging war against such wild beasts
and pulling in that shark was equal
to holding runaway horse. With
braced feet and taking it hand over
hand, the line gradually shortened
and the body of the shark was seen
darling around in the water.
"Look out, or you'll land him in
your lap" shouted the yachtsman,
"and if he comes in some Of us will
have to get out" The boys danced,
the men shouted and the ladies stood
up and shrieked in chorus with me,
while the shark lashed the mighty
waters with its mighty tail and senI
the spray all over us and the
boat seats. The Norcross boys took
the line and drew my prize in, ham
mered on the head with club, and
putting another hook in his back pull
ed him over and stretched him out
There he lay, his nose at one side o.
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