, 1886-03-21
FOLLOWED BY A BIG SHARK.


Not To lie Taken In by n Dummy-Grsas-
ing a Yellow Dog for Bait.
In 1874 | was mate Of a coasting
schooner voyaging between Charleston,
Beaufort, Savannah, and other points
on the southern coast. She was built Mt
Charleston, and / went out On the first
voyage. The name of the captain was
Martin, an easy-going. good-natured
man, and we had three men before the
mast.
We left Charleston in the afternoon,
and were scarcely clear Of the bar when
a monster shark was observed in or
wake. There are always sharks in plenty
in Charleston harbor, and this chap
would not have received much notice ex-
cept for his size and the grim, persistent
manner in which he followed US. He
ranged up on the starboard quarter, not
more than ten feet away, and there he
stuck. When we had made our oning
and set our course, the captain deter
mined to get rid OF the unpleasant visitor.
When a sailor sees a shark following
his ship he feels as q landsman would if
a wolf was pursuing his carriage. The
shark Is there to eat you, il opportunity
occurs, and you feel a spirit of revenge
stirring you up TO get rid OF him.
We had a big shark hook on board,
and after the decks had been cleared we
brought il out, baited it with a chunk Of
pork. and the morsel was dropped over
board and the rope paid out until the
pork was right at the sharks nose. He
refused 10 touch IL. Sharks are always
hungry. and sharks aren't a bit particu-
lar whether they eat pork or sailor, but
this fellow seemed 10 know that we had
formed a conspiracy TO destroy him. We
made up a dummy and carried it aloft
and heaved It overheard with great out
cry. but that trick also failed. The
shark paid no attention 10 the splash,
but kept his wicked eyes on the man at
the wheel, and remained where we first
discovered him.
We had a slow passage down 10 the in
let, and rs we entered it the shark sud
denly disappeared. We went up to
Beaufort. unloaded a part Of u cargo.
o On some cotton, and came down
again, n we Ind scarcely crossed the
bar when the big fish again took Ids po-
ssition on the starboard quarter. IL was
the same when we started into Savan-
nah. and the same at Brunswick, and we
dror ped him again Off Charleston as we
returned after IN absence Of two weeks.
We tried every way known to sailors to
drive the fellow of. but he wouldn't
bulge. AT Charleston the captain con-
suited a colored ~clairvoyant, and she sold
him about an ounce OF pink salve and
told him that he must buy a yellow dog.
grease lis paws with the salye, and use
the dog TO bait the shark hook. He paid g.
for the salve and was a whole day
finding a yellow dog. One was finally
discovered following a oolored man
about, and an offer OF 81 made him our
dog. On this occasion we left Charles
tom just at daybreak. having beer in the
harbor three days. As day fully dawned
we picked up our old enemy, and all
hands willingly turned up to see what
luck we would have with the new hait
We creased the paws OF the dog, and he
at once began 10 howl in the most dis
NAL manner You'd have believed from
his actions that he knew what wa com
ing. When we had lashed him fast 10 the
h''h W AehhA AhAA Aht BLINK nhU
neared the ship by several feet. and that
he seemed TO be a bit nervous
Well, when all was ready over went
the dog, and he had scarcely touched the
water when the shark had him. He had
dog. hook, and all ut one snap. and
started 10 make a skip when the hook
brought him up. We took the line to
the capstain and walked the old chap
alongside, and when we had his head out
Of water we fired two charges OF buckshot
into IL. We then drew him aboard and
finished him OF. and after breakfast we
fell 10 and slit him open 70 see what sort
Of cargo he carried. There was the dog,
swallow Cd almost whole, a human hand,
a beef bone, the heel OF a boot, a pint
bottle, two feet OF small chain. a score OF
buttons, a Silver-plated table knife and
two iron spoons. and several other trihes
which he had picked up while cruising
around and waiting for us 10 come out.
We hove him over after the examination,
and though the schooner ran on that
same route for the ensuing eleven
months, none OF us sighted a shark,
large or small. The greased-dog business
seemed TO have given the whole
fraternity a valuable hint,-New York
Sun.
One hundred cases Of clarct wine for
sale, 1913 per case. at Masters.