Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1889-07-04
AL ABOUT SHARKS.


Hsmm-r-H~.aes vart~ti~--
II was reported the other week that
= sailor engaged in scraping the sides
% a troop--hip In the harbor OF Slerrz
Leone was drawn into the water and
promptly devoure,i by shark This
j. rot an uncommon experience and
the standard reminds ~ that boat
man has been bitten In the short time
Il took him - dip up a pitcher Of
water while his craft was under fgll
sail We are assured that II i Moth
my uncommon FOE the ravcaous fish 10
spring foot out 81 the sea in order 20
secure their prey For miles they will
follow vessel. on the lookout for any
stray unfortunate who may tumble or
b. thrown overheard. and SO deep do
they swim under the surface that It r.s-
quires the practicsd eyes Of the natives
10 detect their presence. VI any of the
West India harbors are so haunted by
the white and hammer headed sharks
the least amiable Of the one hundred
ol0gists-that it Is dangerous 70 bathc
even a few yards from the shore with
out an outlook being posted
Vet the West African negro has been
known % faes. the brute. not Only with
impunity. but even 10 come OF as vic
tor in the end All but amphiblous.
the swimmer cautiously approaches
his enemy. and then. Just a, the mo-
ment when the great fish turns over To
seize him-his mouth being 80 placed
that IL Is necessary daring black
plunges his knife into its white belly
The peari-divers are also sometimes
successful in their attacks on sharks
which try tO seize them. though. IL Il
needless To add. such mode OF combat
l. possible only when the monsters do
not come in numbers. and under the
most favorable circumstances requires
a GOODNESS a dexterity and a courage
which are not To be- acquired except
by long experience in such pcrilous
encounters. As a rule. however il Is
seldom that man who i- 50 luckle-s
a. 70 drop amous sharks ever appears
again. There is a shrek. n white out
look is seen under the surface and in
above il. redeemed crest tops the next
swell which breaks against the ships
side. and the horror-stricken searnen
know that their ulessFn Al. will be seen
no more
Il II a we'll ascertained fact that the
skeletons of sheep. pigs. dogs and cat
tie which had fallen or been thrown
overheard have been recovered many
days subsequent - their being swal-
lowed and IL IL on record that in the
stomach % n shark killed in the Indian
ceeaa a lady's w0rk-box was found.
while in another the incriminatory
papers which had been thrown away
BY a hotiy-chasssi SLAYER we're recox-
erred from the nav OF an involuntary
witness thus ctIriously brought into
e"urt on the barb u pors-bait..si
hook Kuy>ch. on.. Of Tbs. most trust
worthy u the odd nafuralists. ari rms
tRAI a maa IN mail-homo laricatus.
hs calls him wa. found IN th.. stom-
ach Of a white shark. and il Is record
s-d BY Biameabzrh that in one cas-. a
y aAAAtT aAEf~C asN4AAs IL - HEits@nlA-
bic that many have been killed with
ample capacity for such undesirable.
contents. and Basil Hall tells OF one
CUT % which was taken the whole skin
Of 4 buffalo. besides host Of other
tribes which had been dropped astern
in the course of the previous week.
Sailors are full of saperstitious
which touch the zuperhuman sagaeity
and inearuats dendishness of this fish
how. IL senses being aeut.. FAR be-
yond what We can have any idea OF. it
viii follow ships for days when a death
Is likely "a occur. aHd desert the wake
Of sthe vessel when no such good
fortune for il IL in the wind vatea.
the shark god. Is the lord Of the ocean
in the Hervey island mythology. and il
Is whispered tha: even the Chris
tianized Haxaiian= vii still. when in
the direst extremity. invoke Mooaru.
the shark demon. % whom their pagan
forefathers erected temples and Of
fered sacrifice. The pearl divers
Of Ceylon employ shark charmers
in their dangerous work Marco
Polo speaks Of these officials under th.
name OF the abremani. who received
As wages = twentieth OF the divers
gains. At the present day they are
called haioandi or sharx-oinders. and
as the divers would not enter the
waters without being certain Of their
services the chief operator receives a
government subsidy Of ten oysters per
diem The Tahitisns deiied the blue
shark under the name of s.Ankua
maoo." dedieating it 70 shrines and
priests. and in West Africa rzbbfts are
sacrificed 70 u ohm. while. II not sharp
ly watched. It has been affirmed that
some OF the tribes about the NigerdeI-
n viii. AZ fxed times. bind a child de-
GRATED with fowers TO post on the
beach at low tide and leave il 70 be
devoured BY the sharks which come in
with the How. drowning It's cries with
the noise Of drums ms-Sewcastle (Eng.)