San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-12-11


times and after little talk selected South
Aroo Island as the most convenient place for
carrying out the purpose There are seven
of these islands in a group of the New
Guinea coast. While the waters from the
Straits of Malacca to those of Torres are
really the Indian ocean, they are laid down
on maps and charts as different seas-Java,
Flores, Banda and Arafura- We had once
been cast away on the coast of South Aroo,
and had found the waters almost alive with
sharks. We knew it to be uninhabited, and
about twenty miles long by ten broad.
Our outfit was very simple. was to have
q couple of men with me, and we took tent,
lot of shark lines, a couple of lances, and
bedding and provisions. For firearearmsswe
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 safely
landed on a sandy beach The schooner was
in haste to get away, and two hours after
landing us she was out of sight We were
to be left on the island from fourteen to
twenty days. Near where we la,~ed was
what sailors call a rip, that is, a narrow chan
mel between the main land and sand bar
This channel was about sixty feet wide, if
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 Shaking ground. A dozen dorSal
fins could be seen cutting the water, and q
piece OF salt pork flung out resulted in 1gbt,
in which 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 handle on either end and
resting in crotchets. One end of the shark
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 at the edge of the water with lance
and jabbed him as he got near enough.
There may be spots where the shark is more
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 a shark
seized it and was fast. They were not ground
sharks, nor shovel noses, but the genuine
man eater, ranging from nile 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
q cracker. We had to secure the brains and
spread them in 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 at
which we got our water was about 400 feet
inland, and we had cut a path to it. We
had seen few snakes, but they seemed de-
srouS 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 tapgie, and al
though he was back within five minutes,
could tell by his looks that he had received
deadly bite. In ten minutes he YVES rolling
ON nhe ground inagony, and i'll fifteen his
body began to swell While be had not seen
the serpent, we had no doubt OF its speeiss
1t is known in the east as the collar snake,
and is found on oil the islands IN the Indian
ocean. 1t attains a length of two feet, and
has white ring or collar about its neck
1
minutes from the time the man received the
bite he was dead, and his body was terrible
sight to look at.
When we had buried our companion In the
sands we loaded our guns with fine shot and
went snake hunting. We killed a round
dozen of the collar snakes between the tent
and the spring, and felt assured that the fa-
inc would rid the neighborhood of any wEleb
had escaped US. They had probably been
dawn that way by the scent Of the blood
md meat The tragedy had upset us both.
and neither was inclined to sleep that night
IL was we'll that we were in wakeful MOOD
Ever since the Indian sea was navigated by
European vessels there has been more or hess
PIRACY. At this time almost every island
had It's Loss wrec!ier, who was 10 bet
ter Gian a pirate. While not saYiag TO
abDaOa Snip, if she was eanGh
in distress it went hard with her. i
was quiet, starlight night, and was Sitting
outside bne tent while my comrade was lying
down inside, when l caught a sound fFon
S2e water which alarmed me. As rose w
and advanced caught sight of u native craft
stealing iEto the r.p fTCm tie lower sitle. She
was from tle Piado islands to the north of us,
End was spice boat. she had a slngls mast
and a Iateen s.il and during a cain was
pulled by oars. ran back to my companion
and we crept forward on hands and knees to
the object OF the visit. Had tho
men been honest they would have been talk
ing and singing. They would not have come
into the rip had they not known of our pres
ence, and the fact of their coming SO quietly
BODIED Ill for US. The craft was grounded
about 100 feet above US, and twelve or 6fteee
natives leaped out on the beach.
When we had seen this much we returned
to our tent, secured the three guns aud coarse
and took up our stations between