Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-21
LOOKING FOR SHARKS.

ted" was and is an organization owning
iait dozen brigs and schooners which voy-
lge among the islands of the Indian ocean
ma traffic for pepper, spices, cinnamon, bees
wax, ngs, rare woods, medicinal roots and
1eros, etc. On one occasion-this was twenty
years ago-this company received an order
from Sydney, Australia, for a great GUAM
MY OF sharks brains. 1t seemed that some
quack doctor in the colony had
made the discovery that sharks brains was
lne great panacea the medical world had
peen looking for TO cure all diseases They
were drled and then pulverized and mixed |
WIN a certain root, and, as silly as it may |
LOOK 10 you, the people went wild over the |
new cure
When the order was received at SINGAPORE
was mate of a small schooner called the |
Little Duke, and it was planned that should
De set ashore on some of the islands TO tina
north of Australia to fill it. had voyaged
rom Singapore to Torres strait several
S%s, and after little talk selected South
- Island as the most convenient place for
Narrying out the purpose. There are seven
these Islands in a group off the New
Sorea coast. While the waters from the
reaaafa of Malacca TO those of Torres are
On ~ the Indian ocean, they are laid down
FL maps and charts as different seas-Java,
bes4,esss Banda and Arafura. We had once
--'een cast away on the coast of South Aroo,
anu tiaa found the waters almost alive with
snarhs. We knew it to be uninhabited, and
ABOUT twenty miles long by ten broad.
Our OUTFIT was very simple. was to have
couple OF men with me, and We took a tent.
lot OF shark lines, couple of lances, and
bedding and provisions. For firearearms.we
had revolvers and double barreled shotguns
and after long and tedious voyage, during
which we called at several islands, we finally
cast anchor off South Aroo, and were safety
landed on andy beach. The schooner was
ih lZEaasee to get away, and two hours after
handing rs she was out of sight We were
to be left on the island from fourteen to
twenty days. Near where we landed was
what sailors call rip, that is, a narrow chan
mel between the rain land and sand bar.
ms channel was about sixty feet wide, fif-
teen or twenty feet deep, and open at both
ends. The sand bar was not over four feet
above high tide, half a mile long, and not so
much as spear of grass grew upon it. We
didn't have to look twice to see that this rip
was our sharking ground A dozen dorsal
Tins could be seen cutting the water, and a
piece OF salt pork flung out resulted in fight,
- SSPich q score OF the monsters participated.
We erected our tent in the edge of the forest.
set up our windlass above high water, and
next morning after landing were all ready to
begin work. Our method of proceeding was
very simple. Our windlass was a roller,
provided with a handle on either end and
raSfiprr t-g+rba-s ly,Ftk 10,
line was made fast to this, and the hook at
the other was baited and flung out When a
shark was fast we brought him in by turn
ing the windlass While the two men turned
/ stood 1T the edge OF the water with lance
and jabbed him as he got near enough.
There mas be spots where the shark is more
numerous than off the New Guinea coast, but
doubt it. There was no waiting about the
business of catching them. No sooner was
the baited hook thrown in than shark
seized it and was fast. They were not ground
sharks, nor shovel noses, but the genuine
man eater, ranging from nine to fifteen feet
in length, and terribly strong and fierce. An
ordinary man would be snapped in two by
one Of these fishes as easily as boy bites into
cracker. We had to secure the brains and
spread them il the sun to dry, and this made
it slow work. Our catch the first day was
seventeen. We increased this to twenty on
the second day, and for four days maintained
that figure. On the afternoon of the fourth
day sad calamity occurred. The spring al
which we got our water was about 400 feet
inland, and we had cut a path to it. We
had seen a few snakes, but they seemed de
sirous of avoiding Us as much as possible
and none of US were alarmed about them
On this afternoon, as one Of my helpers
went after water, he was struck by
a snake lying in the tangle, and al
though he was back within five minutes,
could tell by his looks that he had received 6
deadly bite. In ten minutes he was rolling
on the ground in agony, and in fifteen hi:
body began to swell While he had not seer
the serpent, we had no doubt of its species
1t is known in the east as the collar snake
and is found on all the islands in the Indiar
ocean. II attaius a length of two feet, anC
has white ring or collar about its neck
There is no more poisonous snake In fort
minutes from the time the man received tn
bite he was dead, and his body was terribl
sight to look at
When we had buried our coupanion in tn
sands we loaded our guns with fine shot an
went snake hunting. We killed a roun
dozen of the collar snakes between the ten
and the spring, and felt assured that the iii
ing would rid the neghborhood OF any whic
had escaped us. They had probably bee
drawn that way by the scent Of the bloc
and meat The tragedy had upset us boti
and neither was inclined TO sleep that nigh
1t was well that we were in wakeful moo
Ever since the Indian sea was navigated b
lie ., l.. /.
piracy, At this time almost every islam
had its boss wrecker who was no be
ter than a pirate. While not daring I
attack ship, if she was caugl
in distress it went hard with her.
was quiet starlight night, and was sittin
outside the tent while my comrade was lyir
down inside, when | caught sound fro
the water which alarmed me. As rose [
and advanced caught sight of native cru
stealing into the rip from the lower side 81
was from the Pindo islands, to the north Of u
and was a spice boat. She had single ma
and iateen sail, and during a calm w
pulled by oars l ran back TO my companit
and we crept forward on hands and knees
discover the object of the visit. Had 4
men been honest they would have been tai
ing and singing, They would not have COL
into the rip had they not known of our pre-
ence, and the fact OF their coming so quiet
BODIED i'll for US. The craft was groundt
about 100 feet above us, and twelve or fiftet
natives leaPed out on the beach.
When We had seen this much we resurnl
to our tent, secured the three guns and coar
ammunition and took up our stations betwe.
the tent and the water. In five minutes
had burrowed out rifle pits and charged Il
guns with buckshot. 1t was not for us
open tie fight, We could just make out L
group OF figures around the boat, and tn,
would soon let Us know whether they We
friends or enemies We had just got fair
settled when We saw the crowd stealing ov
the sands in the direction Of the tent.
had spears and clubs and their cautio
movements proved them bent on mischi
Wher they had come up quite close to I
tent tney raised loud yell and dashed f
ward hurting their spears and swingi
their clubs and it was two or three MIMI
before they discovered that the tent was
occupied. Then, as they huddled togeth
We opened fire They were not more th
sixty feet away, and the buckshot had
tell. There were screams and shouts anC
stampede All broke for the boat-all W
were on their feet after our fire Two
three men l.. keen left in charge of t
craft, and as soon as they heard the fri
and yelling a panic seized them and til
pushed the boat off, sprang into her a
made off down the rip. Nine natives w,
thus left in the lurch. They raised gr'
cutlery, calling and commanding, but tn,
in the boat did not even reply.
The situation was this: We had the felIo
penned UP on q neck of SIND without coy