Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-01-20

| With the Concealed Hook-Death by
How very hard it is to provide for
a young, fast growing family nova
days!' said the mother shark, turning,
for the hundredth time that morning,
upon her broad side in order to get
better view Of what might be stirring
| above. For nearly week she had been
| fasting-in fact, ever since she came in
hurriedly at the close of great feast
upon the stripped carcass of recent
whale. There, by dint of the energy of
her massive shoulders, her IA feet of
length and fivefold rows Of triangular
teeth, she had managed TO secure re.
spectacle proportion of the spoil for the
replenishing of her own huge nav as
| well as for the up keep of the IA shark
lings that were now restlessly darting
in and out of their cozy cave at the far
end of her capacious throat.
Within the immediate range of her
glance vast black shadow obscured ii
wide, irregularly shaped area of the
blazing sunshine 1t was SO calm that
| tllt SfluUOW sttlltu Ill tlt
direction of this cool penumbra her gaze
fingered earnestly, for hereditary in
stinct as well as long experience gave
her the knowledge that from the sub
stance of such shadows came food drop
ping down, varied and toothsome, &C.
tually alive on rare occasions. Some.
what impatiently she wondered at the
long time that her little blue and gold
attendant had been gone.
He was SO seldom absent from his
place between her eyes for whole min
ute that she got quite uneasy, but while
she fdgeted fretfully, with many twitch-
ings of her flexible ''gaff topsail, back
came the pilot fish in tearing hurry
Now, then, partner, move along, do
There's a lump of fat pork almost as big
as your head hanging over that ships
stern. don't quite understand why it
doesn't sink, but it is good. l nibbled
just crumb, and you can be sure this
time that it is no bagful of cinders like
that nasty mouthful that gave you the
chestache so bad this morning. The
latter part of this energetic exordium
was lost upon mother shark being
| drowned in the wash set up by her
great tail fin, which was going in grand
style, starting her off at such rate
that two or three stragglers of the fam
lily had to skip like shrimps to get in
doors before they were left behind and
lost.
Straight as an arrow to the mark went
the tiny guide, keeping just in front of
his huge friends snout. Together they
swept into the shadow, where, sure
enough, mass Of meat hung just below
the sea surface, though gently lifted al
most out Of water every now and then
"Oh, do look, mamma There's big
fish. Is he going to eat up that pretty
little one, do you Think" "Oh, no. my
little man," struck in the mate, "but
you watch him now!" AS he spoke the
great gray body took a curve latterly, a
dazzling glare of white appeared and
there beneath the speaker was ores
centio gap i'll the smooth, livid under
side fringed with innumerable points
like chevaux de frise and as big as the
gap of coal sack Around it the small
pilot circled excitedly at top speed
Slowly the mate as gently Stacked away
there was gulp, and the big joint dis
appeared. There was flash, a splash
and an eddy Then the rope attached to
the shark hook concealed in the pork
groaned over the rail as it felt the strain
Lay aft the watch, roared the
mate, and amid the trampling Of many
feet, babel of directions and a tremen-
dous tumult alongside, through the
| writings of the captive monster, she
was transferred forward to the lee gang
way, where, by the aid of stout watch
tackle, she was hoisted out of water.
Don't take him aboard, cried the
captain. make such an Internal mess
fyou do. just spritsail yard him and let
him go agen y SO piece of scantling
was got from the carpenter, pointed at
both ends, about four feet long. This
they drove between her jaws from side
to side. Another wedge shaped piece
was planted diagonally down through
her broad snout, the upper end pointing
forward. Then they cut off the wide
pectoral fms letting the quiyering car
cass fall into the sea again by the sim.
pie expedient of chopping the hook out.
What abominable cruelty, muttered
a gentle faced man among the crowding
passengers, as he turned away sick at
heart But the busting seaman looked
| pitylngly at him, wondering doubtless
at his lack of sporting instincts. Thus
| disabled, the miserable monster plunged
| blindly IN uncertain directions, unable
to steer herself, uuheeding the frantic
| caresses of her faithful little satellite
who had almost exhausted himself by
1 leaping up at her as she hung strug-
| Cling against the vessels side. Neither
did she notice the puzzled wavering
movements of her wondering brood So