West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-07-13

broad sense, devoted to the interests
of those who give him employment.
A HUGE TIGER OF THE SEA.
How the Sandwich Islanders Take the
Man-Eating Shark.
The doctor and / were enjoying q
much needed rest in little cottage
at Waikiki, Honolulu's ideal water
Ing place, says writer to the San
Francisco Chronicle. Strolling along
the beach one day We came across
group of native fishermen repairing
O. saffron colored net, 100 feet long,
perhaps, and 10 feet wide.
After asking few questions of
the natives the Goctor told me that
they were going off tn try to capture
one Of the huge sharks known as
"niuhi," or man. eaters, and that
they had offered to take us if we
promised to sit still in the canoes.
Everything being in readiness,two
or three of the lighter canoes were
launched, and their occupants pad
died out to sea to discover some
signs of the wished-for man eater,
while we were directed to be ready
to embark at any time. 1t came
it took US but few moments to
reach our canoe and jump in.
Though it did not take us long to
reach the spot where the man-eater
was known to be, yetnight had fall
en- and it was by the light of torches
made of the baked kernels of the
candle nut strung upon cocoa leaf
fibre that we drew near the fleet. BY
the smoky, red light of the torches
we could see men busily scattering
about the baked meat they had
brought, and also half chewed NOR
sells of the ava root. AS they did SO
there was the gleam of the fins and
tails of hundreds of fish darting to
and fro for food. Now and then
larger one than the rest, with sides
glowing with phosphorescent light,
would dart among the smaller fry,
scattering them right and left.
They are the 'manao kauaka,"
whispered the doctor, 1.-The shark god
of the old Hawaiians. And, there
there" he added quickly, as mas
sive bulk rose from the depths be-
low, "there is the 'mano keoko,' the
great white shark"
Just then the old fisherman sta
toned near us suddenly crouched
down, and, touching the doctor with
one lean, brown hand, pointed to the
water near the stern Of the canoe
next to us. We there saw, cleaning
in the opalescent depths. two bright
spots that shone with malignant
greenlsh light. They were set in a
monstrous, shadowy head, beyond
which we could dimly see huge
brown body.
1t was the niuhi, the fiercest of
his tribe, and as he moved along the
crowd of fish darted away in terror.
Even the great white shark sullenly
gave way to this tiger of the sea, who
swan slowly about, swallowing the
food the fishermen kept throwing to
him. AS he thus moved from place
to place his whole body seemed to
exhale peculiar light that streamed
from the tips of his fins and long,
unevenly lobed tail. BY the CLEAN
of this peculiar phosphorescence his
motion could be closely watched, and
finally the experienced fishermen
saw that he was becoming gorged.
So intent had we been watching his
movements that we had not noticed
that while he was being fed the fleet
of canoes had been silently moved
in nearer the shore. Our progress
had been very slow, and now for
awhile the canoes halted, while how
eriny beneath them was the man
eater, evidently somewhat stupefied
by the ava he had swallowed with
the food so freely given him.
And then commenced curious
exhibition Of skill and daring. A
moose had been made in the end of
long, strong rope, and this was
taken by an experienced old fisher
man, who quietly slid overheard
from his canoe and allowed himself
to sink where the man eater was
resting, his body enveloped in that
strange, weird light. This was the
moment when, if the shark had been
shamming sleep, he would, with one
vigorous sweep of his tail and a snap
of his Jaws, have earned his name OF
imam eater.
But no; he was for the time being
powerless, and with infinite dexteri-
ty and skill the native succeeded in