The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-03

I
with the demon were soon known far
and wide, and every craft sailing for
India or China Kept sharp lookout for
him. If he wasseen between January
and April, 1864, there is no record Of
1t, but on the 18th day Of the latter
month, when left the port of St. Luis,
in the island of Mauritius, bound for
Bombay, in the brig Charleston, the
monster appeared alongside before we
were 90 miles out of port. This was the
first time he had been seen so far to the
south and was distance of 5, 600 miles
from the spot where he had snapped up
his last man. The demon appeared to
us suddenly, as In all other cases. When
sharks are around, their dorsal fins can
be seen cutting the water here and there,
and they seldom come near moving
craft. The first thing we knew the mon
ster was running with the ship, and so
close that one could have touched him
with ten foot pole.s We measured his
length by the rail, and then tapeline
gave us exactly 8S feet inches. The
only weapons aboard were two navy re-
volvers, and the captain took one and
the other, and we fred 10 bullets fair
into the body Of the fish. I am telling
you the plain truth when say that he
did not swerve an inch or seem to feel
the slightest pain. The bullets certainly
went into him, but when an ordinary
shark can have two or three feet cut off
his tail and still continue to swim about
unconcernedly there ism t much hope of
pistol bullets ending his life.
Knowing that the presence of the de-
mon meant horrible death to any man
who fell overheard, the word was passed
for every one to be very careful of him
self while aloft. The shark picked us
up of a Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock.
We had fair wind for the north, and
up to Friday afternoon at O'Clock he
had not secured victim. No matter
whether the breeze was strong or weak,
whether it was daylight or darkness,
the demon kept his place alongside.
We tried him with baited hooks, we
stuffed an old suit Of clothes and threw
the figure overheard, we put more bull
let's into him and worked all sorts Of
schemes to drive him off, but it was not
to be done. If he sheered off at some
demonstration, it was to return aft after
a moment and take up his old position.
His presence was such a menace and
peril that all felt uncomfortable and
nervous, and by order of the captain
the men were kept out Of the rigging
except when it became positively neces-
sary to go aloft. When Friday came
and no accident had happened, we be-
gan to take heart and hoped to see the
demon leave us. III all those days and
nights he had eaten nothing, and so easy
was it for him to keep pace with us that
one might watch for an hour and not
notice movement Of his tail. While
we were hoping that hunger and the
long swim had about exhausted him the
cook got upon the rail Oh the opposite
side from the shark to draw pail of
water. A sudden lurch of the ship sent
him overheard. happened to be watch
ing the shark at the same moment.
With the quiokness Of thought be was
gone from under my eyes, and, passing |
under the brig, he seized the cook be- |
fore the latter had time to cry out and |
before man had advanced to the rail.
Four or five sailors got there just in
time to see the victim disappear, and as
there was no tinge Of blood on the wa
ter they could we'll declare that the
shark had swallowed him whole.
A month later, 800 miles to the east
ward Of Mauritius, the demon arose
alongside the Scotch whaler Albatross
and followed her two days and got a
man who fell from the bowsprit Three
months later, to the south of Madagas-
car, he got a man from Boston ship
called the White Wave. During the
same year, when the English ship Cape
Horn was wrecked off Cape Town and
some of the crew took to a raft, the big
shark followed the raft for seven days
md nights and devoured nine different
men who fell or leaped into the sea. In
1865 the demon cruised in the route of
hips between Cape Town and Australia
md was seen a dozen times. In 1866 he
vas back in the bay Of Bengal. The last
een of him was off the Laxative islands
n the Arabian sea. He arose alongside
# an English gunboat one afternoon,
md, after taking his measure, one Of
he guns was loaded with shell and
rained to bear on him. When the smoke
feared away, the shark could no longer
Q seen, and as he was never met with
fterward by any craft which made a
ecord Of the circumstance it may be
afely argued that he was put out Of the
'ay for good and all.