The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-12
THE QUEER WARS OF SHARKs.
Hmpudent In General. but CAME stand n Come
motion In the winter.

Hmpudent In G;enerRI, but Cnu't stand n Come
mntloh Ia the Nnier.
"One horror Of sea fighting l believe our sail.
ors will be spared in this war. said q veteran Of
the merchant marine, land that Is tho large
chances OF being killed by sharks. The whole
OF the Caribbean Sea about Cuba swarms with
those Internal things. and, as a rule, when O
man drops overheard, the chances arc that In
another minute nothing will he left OF him on
the surface but some red stains in tho water,
unless he keeps his presence of mind and knows
just what to do.
There is a way Of helping yourself when you
get into that fix. That's just why | say that In
these modern battles tho danger from sharks 10
not likely TO be anything like what 1t was in old
times. Perhaps you are not aware that a shark
Is the most timid and nervous fish of prey that
lives. but ii is 80. When you find yourself
floating about in those waters and think & shark
is anywhere near you Just you kick and splash
for all you are worth. II you don't think there
are any sharks about Kick and splash on gen.
eral principlcs-thnt is, IL You want 20
see your home and your family again.
A shark that is making straight for his
prey Will turn tail and sheer OFF ~ soon rs Tho
splashing begins. Now | teli"v that in a gem
cral engagement between these modern ships,
what with the tremrn. Gus cOnCussiOn Of the
heavy guns and the Chminiug OF the water with
propellers on all sid y and an occasional tor
peio raising ndisturbancc every now md then
in the water. the whole nciGhbOrbood will 10
cleared of sharks.
I'm the oil days, although the broadsides
made "a good deal OF noise, no doubt. n snip vent
down much more quietly than now, Just think
fires and the boilers 20 under. No shark will
stay within a mile OF such an uphonv,l.
am not talking mere theory when ] say
that n shark can he frightened Off by splnshinV.
| have seen 1t done, or, TO be quite exnct. | saw
the man who did II Just nf!or he had scrambled
out of tho water. lie had been in bathing in one
Of those sea b this they have In Kingston hnr.
Dor, where they fence in n goot piece Of water
with piles driven into the bottom close together.
One OF Ire piles had got broken somehow, and u
big basking shark had squeezed through and
gone TO sleep In the bath. When The man
plunged i'll the shark woke up nnh commenced
to charge around. Bv TINT timc the man was
some Yards away, from the Stops. lie inIne-
dintely turned on his back and kicked ms hard as
he could, md the shark. insteId OF charging ut
him, went into n downright panic aud bumped
hLsnoSe against all the piles looking for the hole
he had got in ny.
D." know it sounds like a fable to say n shark 10
tlmid, because they will do things that you
would hardly expect q timid fish TO do. | myself
have seen "A shark leap out OF the wafer close
enough TO a rowboat TO tumble on the oar blades.
Snt that was my own dinghy. and my BOYS knew
now TO row, and didn't make u splas h with the
blades or try any Of this Undoubtedly feather
Ing business. Then there is a place at Port
down into the water, and They say that n British
artillery officer who was sitting on those steps
or some other steps that wore in the same place
one IN 'rning. mokinR a cigar, had both his
legs torn on by a shark that swan close in shore
ana rose at him as a trout rises at IA fly. But all
tilat Only. shows that a shark liz q queer, incon-
sistent kind OF a fish. ana in spite OF all his inn
pnhehcc, you may depend upon 1t. he can't stand
ANYTHING that makes n disturbance in the water.
on. yes, when the battle is over he will fol-
low the ship That has any wounded mon on
knows there Is n wounded man or II sick man on
board a ship, any more than | can tell how
Mother Carey's G%hickens can read the barom-
has 10 be satisfied TO know a good many thinR0
that he can't explain"