The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-12-26
SHARKS ON WOODEN HOOKS
COW SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS CAP.
TURE SAVAGE MONSTERS.
Boats Of Chips, Lines OF Cocoanut
Fibre and Bent Root to Bring
the Fish Within Reach of Club,

tfhO \ ASA AkCaSlA VA q SluOs
" VERY now and then one may
n see noted in Australian papers
the arrival of an island trad
ing vessel, bringing, among
other cargo. SO many tons of sharkfns,
and the uninitiated naturally wonder
for what on earth sharkfins are
brought to the marts of civilization.
That is easily answered; they are re-
garded as great delicacy by John
Chinaman.
For the last fifty years shark catch
ing has been followed on a large or
small scale by the inhabitants of the
South Sea Islands. Until of late years
only the fms and tails were cut of,
dried on strings and sold by the ma
tlves to either resident traders or
wandering trading vessels. By these
latter they are taken to Sydney, and
there sold to Chinese merchants, who,
in their turn, ship them home to
China.
But nowadays, not only are the fms
and tails dried by the natives in in
creasing quantities, but the skin is
stripped off, pegged out like bull
locks hide and sold to the white men.
But the skins do not go to China.
They are sold to German trading yes.
sells, and no one in the islands, even
to this day, knoweth for what purpose
they are used.
Ali the people OF the Gilbert Islands
are expert shark fishermen, but the
men of Pasnopa Ocean Island) claim
to be, and are, facilo princeps in the
forcible art of clubbing a shark before
he knows what is the matter with him
and what the horrid thing Is that has
got into his mouth. First of all,
though, something about the island
itself.
1t is tiny spot. rising abruptly
from the sea, about 800 feet in height,
situated fifty miles south of the equa.
ter, and inhabited by fierce. turbu-
lent race of dark-skinned Malaga
Polynesians. allied in want of manners
and fullness of beastly customs to
their Gilbert Island neighbours, 800
miles to the windward.
Half cables length from the land
itself, and not twenty yards from
the fat shelving coral reef that iuts
abruptly out from the narrow strip of
beach, the water is Of great depth,
ffty-in some places ninety-fathoms.
At the first break of dawn the men,
naked save for girdle of grass, sally
out from their. gray.roofed houses of
Gatch and launch their canoes for the
days work. Wonderful canoes these
are, too, their shells of small strips of
wood sewn together with cocoanut
cinnet.
In 70 one, Of them will you see q
plank more than two feet in length
and six inches in width; many are
constructed of such small pieces of
wood deity fitted and sewn together
that one wonders how the builders
ever had the patience to complete the
craft. But wood is scarce on Ocean
Island, and whenever as sometimes
happens-a canoe is smashed by the
struggles of more usually powerful
shark, the tiny timberS are carefully
picked up by the other canoes and re-
stored to the owners, who fit them to-
gether by degrees until new hull is
pieced together.
Perhaps twenty or more canoes go
out together. No need to go far. just
outside the ledge of the reef is enough,
for there Jack IS waiting, accompanied
by all-sized relatives, male or female.
Lying upon. the little grating of
crossed sticks that reaches from the
outfigger of the canoe to the gunwale
is the tackle. Rude it is, but effect
ual-a huge wooden hook, cunningly
trained when it was o young tree root
into growing into the proper shape,
and about forty fathoms of strong CO.
coanut-fbre rope-as thick as the
whaleline and as strong. Taking fly
ing fish, or a piece of shark caught
the previous day, native ties the bait
around the curve of the great hook.
Then he lowers the lines, which sinks
quickly enough, as tho wooden hook
is as heavy as it is big.
Presently the line tautens-Jack is,
there. The steersman strikes his pad
die into the water to bring the canoes
head round, the man hold the lines
gives it certain jerk that makes the
outrigger rise foot out of the water
and nearly upsets the little craft. and
third native handles short iron
wood club expectantly.
Perhaps if Jack is big fellow he
will obstinately refuse to turn. and
make strenuous effect to get away
deep into the blue gloom hundred
fathoms below. Sometimes he does.
Apparently nothing short of steam
winch at the other end of the line
would stop him then; and SO fathom
by fathom the line descends, and the
steersman and ''clubber" look anxi-
ously at the few fathoms left coiIed
up on the outrigger platform. By
bit of good luck, though, Jack may
turn, or be turned, from his direct
downward coErse by q sudden jerk.
Then all hands to the line to get him
to the surface before he gets his head
again for another dive.
Meanwhile, every other canoe has
got fast to shark, and now there is
wild clamor and much bad language
as the lines get foul aud canoes bang
and thump against each other. Per-
haps four or five will be in lump. to-