Copiah signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1888-1899, 1889-07-18
AT Asour SHARKS.
maKen@aa Chmrmeasv ~ the waite aa9
Hammer Essaaea vaFisttea


uammer- Headed NaFistssa
n vas reported the other week thai
a sailor engaged In seraplng the sides
u troop-ship In the harbor of Sierra
Leone vas drawn inio the water and
promptly dovouresl ~ shark. This
Is not an uncommon experience aud
the standard reminds us thai a boai-
mau has been bitten In the short time
Il took him to dip up pitcher Of
water while his craft was under full
sail We are assured that II IL moth
log uncommon Tor tho raFeuous fsh to
spring a foot out of tho SEN In order 20
sscure their prey For miles they viii
follow q sel. un the lookout f0r ANY
stray unfortunAte who may tumble or
bs thrown overheard. and 80 deep do
they awim undar the surface thai "A ~.
qulrcs the praeticed eyes of The natives
to detect their prcsenee. NJ any OF thf
"a -. t-.-sa. = s-aes.ss@ spss asa hannird pN
tna white aud hammer headed shara'
- the least amiabla of the oae hundred
and hfiy different kinds known to 20.
olugists that "a Is dangerous 10 bathe
even a few yards from The shore with
out an outlook being posted.
Vet The West African nogro has been
known 10 face the brute. not only with
lmpnuiay. but even to come OF a. vic-
tor In the end. All but amphiblous.
ths swimmer cautiously approaches
bis enc my. and then. just AZ the mo.
ment when the great fsh turns over 10
seize hlm-his mouth being ~ PLACED
that u h necessary the daring black
plunKes bis kniie into its white belly
The peari-divers are also sometimes
successful In their attacks on sharks
which try 10 seize them. though. u l.
needless Va add. such a mode Of combat
Is possible only when the monsters do
not come In numbers, and under the
most favorable circumstances requires
a coolaes.. q dexterity and a courage
which arr not 10 b. acquired except
by long experience in such pcrilous
encounters. A a rule. however. it ls
seldom that a man who l. 80 lucklcss
a. to drop among sharks ever appears
again There il a shrek. a white Out.
hook i seen under the surface and In
above H. a Redeemed crest tops the nest
swell which breaks against the ships
side, and the horror-strickeu scaneu
knOw that their messmate wlll be- seen
no moro.
II il we'll ascoriained fact that the
skeletons - sheep, pigs. dogs and cat
tle which had fallen or been thrown
overheard have boen recovered many
days subsequent a. their being ssal-
lowed and u j. 0n record that Ia the
stomach Of a shark KILLED IN the Indian
ocoan lady's work-box wa- found.
While la another the discriminatory
papers which bad been thrown away
hy a hotly-chascd SLAYER werc recov-
cred from the nav of an involuntary
witness thus curiously brought into
court on the barb of pork -bailed
hook. Ray sch. one a tho most trust.
worthy Of the old naturalisss afirm-
that maa la mail-homo lOricaius.
be calis hlm-was fDund In the stom-
aeh of a white shark; and Il IL recorsl-
cd by hlumonhach that La QUE case a
whole horse wAs found. u Is undsnia-
bic that many have been killed with
ample capacity for such undesirable
contents; and Basil Hall tells of one
out Of which sea. taken the whole skin
% buffalo, besides a host Of other
trihes which had been dropped astern
Ia the course Of the previous week.
Sailors are fall of -uperstiti0ns
which touch the superhuman sagacity
and incaruats hendishness - this hsh
how. its sonsos being acute iar be-
yond " hat We caa have any Idea of. Il
will follow ships for days hen death
l. likely 10 oocur aud desert the wake
~ tlhe vessel when no SUCH good
fortune ior ID l. la the wind. Natea.
the shark god. is the lord Of the ocean
in the Hervey island Mythology. and Il
Is whispered that even the Chris.
tianised ilawaiians Sill still. when Ia
the direst extremity. invoke Mooaru.
the shark demon. to whom their pagan
forcfaihers erected temples and of.
tered sacrifice The pearl diver,
y Ceylou employ shark charmers
10 protect them while engaged
In their dangerous work Marco
Polo spcaka Of these officials under the
name Of the abrnmani. who received
A. wages a twentieth of the divers
gains Al the present day ihoy arr
allied haihandi or shark -binder.. and
a. the divers would not enter the
waters without being certain Of thsir
services the chief operator receives Z
government subsidy Of Ten oysters per
diem. The Tahltians delded thu hlus
shark under the name of "Ankul
maoo." dedicating IA " shrlncs ans
priests. and In West Africa eabbits ar'
sacrificed 10 ~ ohm. while. n not sharp
" waiched. IL has been affirmed tha
some Of the tribes about the Nlgerdel
ta wiil. at hxed times. bind a child dee
oraied with aowers 10 post on ths
beach al low tide aud leave Il 10 b.
davoured BY the sharks which come Ia
with the aow. drownlag IL cries siil
the noise of druma -. Newcastle (Eng
/ IA ....f.sla