Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-01-06


on. Tney had seen shore beats bringing
off passengers and baggage, and last of all
saw the mailboat arrive and the mail bags
| transferred. Then the captain came of in
| his gig. and had barely touched foot 10
| the quarter deck when he shouted: "All
| hands up anchor" The effect of this on
/ that crowd OF sharks, and even on old
| Solomon him self was at least remarkable.
| had come to feel sort of sympathy fer
the entire shark family, and TO think that,
like the evil one, they were not so bad as
| they had teen painted.s As watched them
| the idea cane dinlly ever ne that brother
| hood might be extended to all the crea-
lures that people the unbOunded seas
| But their conduct, as the moment came
| for parting, showed that indeed they have
| traits in common with humanity. They
Were traits in common with human greed
and selfiskEess. lt was plain enough that
they understood the work of preparation
and departure; but it made my soul
grieve 10 see that they cast off all restraint
and ceased to Re on good behavior
AT this iuncture the little dog fell over
board again, quite near TO where old Solo
mon was looking wiser than ever, and
that old brute dashed after il, but a more
nimble fish got its month in shape quick
or than he and took il in, diving down deep
TO get away from old Soils wrath and
coming up on the outside, far away. The
heaTtless creatures paid no attention to
the tears of the weeping woman nor inter
est in the heartrending grief of her chill
dren- had arranged with the steward for
enough hard tack to give my shark friends
final moroccan at parting, so, despite
their unEind conduct, we scattered this
donation over the waters. hoping to realize
the promise that bread cast on the waters
might return after rrany days; but we
were disuuicted to see that they had lost
all. t,n fiv,iS
sea CIuttons The way they scrambled and
tore the waters apart to get those sea bis
cults was q caution TO our expectations. 1t
was some satisfaction 10 see that old Solo
mur-the beastly hypocrite-never got any
biscuit
s'Just at this time the last boat came off,
ard in the rush to unload a small boy fell
overheard. Then there was sea fight
worth the beholding. Every one, even the
gentle seeming female sharks, rushed to
get leg, an arm, an eye, even a tooth, of
that poor lad. But while they were bat
Ting for n chance the boy was rescued. We
got away from: Panama and supposed all
its sharks were left behind. But the
steamer had freight and passengers for
Realejo, Nicaragua, and when some of the
passengers were cruising in small boats
about the beautiful harbor and landlocked
bay we recognized n great part of tho
Panama contingent as mingling with tho
sharks of those northern waters They
tried to play it fire. We could sec that old
Solomon had told his Realejo relatives
what gulls they had made of US. The old
fellow tried To act as if he never had seen
or heard of US before, but he had peculiar
cock of the eye we recognized; we also
the little joker who ran his err
rands- when wo reached Acapulco,
over l, coo miles yet north, there they all
were again! For my part l ignored them.
To be once betrayed in friendship was
enough for me. But it was easy to see
that old Solomon had some game on hand.
He was evidently a weather sharp, as he
was all the time looking aloft at the sky
and passing clouds. He sent the little fell
low on all sorts of errands, even made
him dive under the ship as if to examine
its seaworthiness, and would listen eager
u to his report. When at last the order
was given to up anchor, all the Panama
sharks went off in advance into the gulf
Of California, but were fooled, for we
cropped into ManZanillo for a few hours
when the storm was over the battered
I'D craft craw!ed under shelter behind
Cape st. Lucas. she soUthernmost feature
Dff Lower California, where the old tramp
mad some more business. That was a
charming bit of sea and rocky shore with
great cave, or rather grotto, arching
through the frowning cape Of rock wall.
Taking the captains binocular, l studied
he now placid seas, and of all that feet of
Panama sharks, only little jackie, who
an old Soi's erTands, was TO be seem 1t is
very possible that some people who never
lavo been on the southern seas may deny
hat there are sharks at Panama, or any
rooted with mother of pearl.
But saw these sharks myself, worshipcii
II that cathedral when my life WAS com
laratively new, and am now recalling
those memories of that bright past merely
% make out ii case as to the sharks of
Panama