The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-06-30
A COUPLE OF SHARKS.

III had an excellent opportunity to study
the habits of the shark while at Mauriti,s, =
sad Col. Pike, "becausc | then made COM
plcte collection of the fish of the Indian
ocean. When tho Duke of Edinburgh came
To Fort Louis oil one of his cruises he cX.
pressed desire to see Il specimen of :, real
man ratinS shark, and volunteered one ,lav
to capture one. Accordingly | took my boat
and Malay crew and set out was nar-
ticuar to take Il boat without any keel. hc.
cause sharks will dart under boat and tear
Oh Il Keel without half trying Besides lines,
hooks and bait, carricdn whalcman's spade.
THIS is an instrument shaped like n car
rcM'"r'> chiscl, hut as big as your hand and
fixed on a pole say ten feet long. Thus
rquipped we proceeded to the outer reef oil
Port Louis Reaching deep water We threw
out our lines bnitcl with chunks of ,orl.
The ocean was perfectly calm, and uf,cl,
waiting some time took n pull at one of the
lines and found that it was fastened to some
thing. Then there was fierce jerk from
the other end which nearly carecncl the
boat.
81 knew that VIC had hooked one and
almost simultaneously the other lines were
made tnut, and could see We were to have
became fierce and was thrashing and slash
ing about in the most threatening manner
| seized my whalcman's spade and stood erect
in the bow of the boat. He was COMING,
direct for us with his mouth wide open,
When within range made a fierce lungc at
him, which fortunately severed the vertclra
and the huge fish licccd over Oh its side dead.
Tho second one was not So easily dis)atsk,e,l.
Il 1,,.,,. II Z,
was resting Oh the side OF the boat. HAVING
made spring out of the water in attacking
u.s. The third one wc mancuvcrcd with for
Over, an lilr before We ronld kill il. One
q. the sharks measured twcnty two feet. and
its liver made a barrel of OIL The three,
after being exhibited at Port Louis. were
stuffed and sent to Professor Agussiz and
arc now III the Museum of Comparative 10
olosy at Cambridge, Mass.
GREEDY FLESH EATERS.
All the meat that was brought to Port
Lonis came in vns,rl; and th. cattle were
lowered into the water and made To swim
ashore. 1t was not an uncommon thing for
tho sharks TO seze live animal and mako
away with it. In order to study the habits
Of this wonderful fish more thoroughly, |
once took Il dead bullock and anchored it in
tine parts most frclucntcd by Them then
waited To see llo they would pull him to
i,!nrcS. They would go Off some distance
and then swim swiftly toward the LullorE
tearing great circular pieces out of th,,
hauunhes. In one hour there was not II sin
uie v"stige of the bullock left. So intent
were they upon their prey that they allowed
me 10 puta no"sn around their tails and drag
thrrl on the reef, where we killed thcn
Three specimens captured in this way were
sent to the Smithsonian Institution mt Wash
inyton.
Once there We're two men off the coa;t of
Mauritins in piroguc, or what we would
call n dugout. A ravcnols shark seemed
determined to have them, and finally size
c".!el in turning the boat over The men
drew their clasp knives and tried to defend
themselves. but one of them was swallowed
by tn" fish without an apparent effort, and,
strange to say he did not then seem to he
satisfied. The people on the shore who had
witnessed this tragic event determined t..
ca,t'!rc the monster, and, accnr'il..ly, thcv
kill! a kid and fastened it to Il hook For a
lii'" the shark swan around it, apparently
s;s>pcrtins something. but finally swallowed i.
and the delighted natives hauled him ashore.
The fish was opened and ! saw the body Of
the man. which was taken out, and have tho
knife which he held in his hand.
Masters Of whaling vessels have told me
Tia: they have known sharks to jump ont Of
the water and take pieces Of meat which
were suspended from the ships side The
slip Ellen Waiace was anchored in the lmr-
Dor of Port Louis at one time and n >niInl.
ASKED permission of the captain to 20 ashore
Ne was refused and accordingly jumped
"vell'nard, determined to swiEl ashore. He
was swallowed by shark before he had co..
cred half the distance also saw lis bo,l.
takcn out of the fish. 3-Broo;lyn Eag,e