Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-22


tionality. A stage was slung under the
stern, and / performed the job to the salts
faction of all concerned.
One afternoon, as was busily at work on
| the lower part of the stern, with my bare
feet dangling in the water, happened to
| look under me and beheld an enormous
shark not more than fathom beneath me,
| apparently preparing to dine on one of nv
limbs. 1t is needless to say that quickly
withdrew them from the water, dropping
nv paint brush almost into his jaws as he
shot to the surface at the same instant, his
head striking the narrow plank upon which
1 was perched. Had not already secured
a firm hold upon the rope BY which the
stage was suspended this story would
have been lost to the world. AS it was, 1
| received terrible fright. At the time it
occurred there was native canoe alongside
with fruit and shells for sale, and as I
scrambled upon deck all hands rushed to
the stern to see the monster One of the
natives from the canoe produced a short
piece of iron wood about the thickness of a
| mans finger and sharpened at both ends,
and, holding this in his left hand by the
middle, so that the sharp points extended
on each side, he placed his long knife be-
tween his teeth, sprang upon the rail. and
to our horror plunged overheard.
He struck the water about 20 feet from
the shark. who was slowly swimming away,
as if disgusted at his i'll luck. We could
see the Kanaka shoot along under the sur
face with long, powerful strokes, while his
companion sprang into the canoe and stood,
paddle in hand, ready to go to his assist
ance. 1t seemed an age to us, but suddenly
the brave fellow came up under the shark,
and the long knife was thrust upward again
and again, while the blood dved the waters
for yards around the scene of the struggle.
So unexpected was the attack that the mon
ster was quickly dispatched, and the native
was picked up by his companion
in the canoe, the whole scene
taking Gar less time than have occupied in
relating it. 1 found afterward that the
hardwood stick is used in case the shark
perceives the approach of the man and at
tempts to seize him in its terrible jaws,
when the shark killer coolly thrusts the
stick into the fish's mouth in perpendicu-
lar position, preventing it from closing,
while with stroke of his long knife he rips
him completely open. The natives consider
the greatest danger to lie in the fact that
the blood almost inv 4riably attracts other
sharks, and at the same. time dyes the water
so that the man is unable to see and guard
against any new danger. L do not mean
to say that all Kanakas will perform this
feat, but many of them will not hesitate to
attempt it, provided a canoe is in readiness
to receive them before the blood attracts a
new enemy. Many of these men have lost
relatives by the sharks, and in the present
case the hero had lost a brother only few
weeks before, and in this way revenged
himself
Notwithstanding the many statements to
the contrary, the shark is an extremely
sluggish swimmer, and this, added to the
Il, L It L
to seize his prey, renders the above per-
tormance not nearly so difficult as it may
seem to those VINO do not realize the skill
and endurance of these islanders, who can
live for many hours in the water without
Inconvenience
We had all been in the habit of bathing
from the ships side nearly every day, but
after seeing the swarm of voracious sharks
devour the body of their wounded mate, we
suddenly lost all desire for this amusement,
and no one was vSnturesome enough to risk
it unless sail was spread in the water for
his protection,
One of the crew was stung by poisonous
shellfish about this time, and we feared he
would lose his arm, but an old native ap-
piled an antidote of herbs which cured him
in few days.
One of our amusements consisted in fish
ing for an eel of kind which is very pal
atable, but which is covered with a thick
slime that makes it extremely unpleasant to
prepare for the table. One day, while the
captain and most OF the crew were ashore,
several of US were engaged in fishing from
the ship. Among the number was a Portu-
guese, a very quarrelsome man, whose great
strength made him feared by many of the
crew. In pulling large eel over the rail
he carelessly flung it into my chum's face,
urir rh ha p1ip II
him. The Portuguese, whose name was
Prank, made no attempt to excuse himself,
and, as soon as Henry could clear his eyes,
he said, with an indignant look:
Il believe you did that on purpose, and if
/ knew it I'd break your headr'
"You no man 'nuff break my head" was
the sneering response.
"Ain't I?' said Henry. "You try it
again, that's all, you bullheaded niggerr'
The Cape de Verde men are black as
ebony, although they speak better Portu-
guese than the Inhabitants of the Azores,
who are white, and nothing angers them
like the word ''nigger."
"You call me niger, you lie" shouted
the infuriated bully.
The next instant he measured his length
on The deck, for Henry was a six-footer and
practiced boxer.
Again and again ne rushed at his foe,
only to be met with blows which would
have speedily ended the contest, but the
mate, who heard the noise as he was writing
in the cabin, ran up on deck and inter
posed his burly form between the combat
ants, sending the steward for the handouts
at the same time After placing pair upon
each OF the principals, he returned to his
cabin, apparently satisfied that he had
effectually quelled the disturbance
No sooner had he gone below, however,