Dodge City times., 1891-11-06


| nimble little sloop ran, and reached.
and lrIed, and came about, and jibed,
and spun around like crazy thing, and
all the while old Capt. Joel said never
word. He was kept nearly as busy
as was, for it is no small t:sS,, to keen
a sloop dancing aGont on the water like
. monkey on a hot brick The old man
was persp.ring freely. but he worked
to perfection. lie knew : well as
did what to dc, and when gave an or
der he was alread; to obcy it instantly.
He could have done Il all without an
order, but on board ship nothing is
done without instructions from the
man in charge
What do you take this ere sloop
for, anyway; top?" he grumbled, as
he fllcl away for the twentieth time.
"Been dancir' about like a looney for
the past half hour" knew by this
that he was warming up 20 the excite
ment of the occasion. His sullen and
resentful feelings had oozed out of him
as he began TO perspire over his work.
At the end oi three-quarters OF an
hour ! was about to give up the fight
as hopeless, but | resolved TO keep it
up until fairly dropped down from
sheer WEAKNESS. ] never lad been SO
completely tired out in al M life. The
shark was altogether too heavy for
this sort of fishing. A smaller shark
would have been sport, but this was
something like hard work. After a
time, however, noticed that the big
Cal ha 81 h<a-
coming less ugly and energetic. He
made dash now and then, but he did
not keep it up. BY degrees reeled
him in toward the boat. did it all
very slowly and cautiously, for did
not wish him to make particularly
desperate break for liberty and get
away from me. ! felt that had not
enough strength left to resist him.
After some trouble / got him within
short distance OF the boat
''Stand by with the lance, Cap'n
JOEL" said l. The old man dropped
the tiller and took up lance made OF
bayonet fastened TO the end of
bamboo fishing-rod. He knelt on the
deck beside me, with the lance poised
over the water and with his toes braced
against the standing rigging. gently
coaxed the shark alongside directly
under US.
''Stab him." said /. and almost be-
fore the sound of the words had died
away the keen bayonet had flashed in
to the sharks head and out again
twice. The third stab went into the
unresisting water, FOR the shark
thrashed the water into foam with his
great tail and tore off across the bay
The reel screamed again and again as
the wounded thing, crazed with pain
and rage, darted here and there.
Wherever he rushed he left thin trail
of blood Although ! was no longer
SO heavily oppressed with WEAKNESS
took my time about checking him, for
knew that had him then.
When the wild creatures fury was
spent reeled him in again to the boat.
he was weak, but still game to the
last. Capt. Joel stabbed him four times,
but even with that the fish made des-
perate struggle for life. Capt Joel
put moose around under his forward
inns, and we hauled him aboard by
means of tackle already prepared for
that purpose. We let him hang II. ..
rigging while we bore s~ssy for home
When was rested bit started to
measure him with a tape line. AsI
fused about him lac made lurch and
gave vicious snap with his ugly Jaws
that caused me to fall headlong on the
cabin roof His razor-like teeth missed
my left arm by barely six inches. Old
Cap'n Joel grinned like a fiend and
chuckled to himself all the way home.
1t must have been the sharks last
death srasm, for when took the lance
and prodded him with it he made no
further demonstration. He was dead
beyond all recall
On the way home put the tape line
on him found that he was q little
moro than five feet long. This is not
large for man-eater; in fact it was
merely an ordinary sort Of Great South
bay shark. While l was cutting of
I'm he slipped out Of the moose and fell
overheard, and that was the last we
saw Of him. He might have been
man-eater for all that could tell to the
contrary. If he were not, it was solely
through lack OF proper opportunity
N " Times -
The growth OF the A.
lie in ths ps.@ .'in. iep"'
,n.,, -. thirty years has been re-
liable. According to recent statis-
tics the population of the republic is
now 100000, as against 1,35O.O00 in
1861. There are now 100000 acres
under cultivation where in 1861 there
were 100000, and while in that year
there We're but eighteen miles of rail-
road in the country there are now over
5000 miles in operation and G, 900 more.
including the great transcontinental
route, in course of construction. The
public debt has grown pretty vigorous
ly, too. however 1t has increased from
1900, 900 to S6l3, 100000.
A Curious Old Document.
One of the dealers in secondhand
books in Washington has unearthed a
curious old document in the shape of
subscription list, written on long
parchment and bearing date l774, in
which George Washington. Charles Car