News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-04-15
CATCHING A SHARK.
A Little Story of the Sea, Told by an Old
SbeII.Back.

In 1874 I was mate of a coasting
schooner voyaging between Charleston,
Beaufort, Savannah, and other points on
the Southern coast. She was built at
Charleston, and | went out on her first
voyage. The name of her captain was
Martin, an easy gong, 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
monster shark was observed in our
wake. There are always sharks in plenty
in Charleston harbor, and this chap
would not have received much notice
except for his size and the grim, per-
sistent 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
| offing and set our course, the captain
determined to get rid of the unpleasant
visitor. When q sailor sees shark fol-
lowing his ship he feels as a landsman
would if a wolf was pursuing his car
rage The shark is there to eat you, If
opportunity occurs, and you feel spir-
1t of revenge stirring you up to get rid
of him.
We had big shark hook on board,
and after the decks had been cleared we
brought it out, baited it with a chunk
of pork, and the morsel was dropped
overheard and the rope paid out until
the pork was right at the sharks nose.
He refused to touch it. Sharks are al
ways hungry, and sharks aren't a bit
particular whether they eat pork or sail
| ~ h,A falour caopoad fO know that
we had formed conspiracy to destroy
him. We made dummy and carried 1t
aloft and heaved It overheard with
great outcry, but that trick also failed.
The shark paid no attention to the
splash, but kept his wicked eye on the
man at the wheel, and remained where
we first discovered him.
We had slow passage down to the
inlet, and as we entered it the shark
suddenly disappeared We went up to
Beaufort, unloaded part of our cargo,
took on some cotton, and came down
again, and we had scarcely crossed the
bar when the big fish again took his po'
sitior on the starboard quarter. 1t was
the same when we went into SaVaraah,
and the same at Brunswick, and we
dropped him again off Charleston as we
returned after an absence of two weeks.
We tried every way known to sailors to
drive the fellow off, but he wouldn't
bulge. At Charleston the captain
consulted colored clairvoyant,
and she sold him about an ounce
of pink salve and she told him
that he must buy yellow dog, grease
its paws with the salve, and use the dog
to bait the shark hook. Hepaid 50 fol
the salve, and was whole day finding
yellow dog. One was finally discov.
cred following colored man about, ano
an offer of So made him our dog. Or
this occasion we left Charleston just al
daybreak, having been in the harbol
three days. AS day fully dawned We
picked up our old enemy, and all hands
willingly turned up to see what luck VIZ
would have with the new bait. W.
creased the paws of the dog, and he a
once began to howl in the most disma
manner. You'd have believed from hi
actions that he knew what was coming
} When we had lashed him fast to thu
hook we found that the shark haC
} neared the ship by several feet, and tina
he seemed to be bit nervous.
Well, when all was ready over wen
the dog, and he had scarcely touched
the water when the shark had him. I'll
had dog, hook, and all at one snap, anC
) started to skip when the hook brough
him up. We took the line to the cap
stan and walked the old chap alongside
and when we had his head out of waite
: we fire two charges of buckshot into 1t
We then drew him inboard and finishes
: him off, and after breakfast we fell t
and slit him open to see what sort o
cargo he carried. There was the dog
swallowed almost whole, a human hand
a beef bone, the heel of boot, pin
( bottle, two feet of small chain, scor
OF buttons, a silver-plated table knit
and two iron spoons, and several othe
| trifes which he had picked up Will
| cruising around and waiting for us t
come out. We hove him over after tn
examination, and though the schoone
: ran on that same route for the ensuin
eleven months, none of us sighted
/, shark, large or small. The greaseddo
| business seemed to have given the Who'll
fraternity valuable hint.