Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1900-10-11
at short distances apart, extended

1 luluS III tHG DOdt 10 hlil Hill WITH.
Cant we pound him to death with
the oars?" | inquired.
NO. replied Dick sIt is dangerous
! to go near him. He can strike blow
| with his saw hard enough to smash
| through the boat anywhere; and be-
sides, he might give us slap with his
tail. No. our best plan is to go back
home and get our guns. and an axe to
chop off his saw-you'll want his saw
to carry home with you. Well soon
settle him."
So we quickly pulled back to the
lighthouse and got our guns and the
axe. Then, with warning from the
keeper to make sure that the sawfish
was dead before we approached him
too close, we went back to the scene.
The sawfish was now resting quietly.
ON the surface, with his back and the
top of his head, including the whole
length of his saw, out of water. He
was held in position by the anchors
fastened to the net To Dicks salts
faction, claimed 2le first shot at the
sawfish Then slipping couple of
huckshot cartridges into the No. 10
English breechloader which my father
had kindly loaned me for the trip.
was ready. When within about twenty
feet Dick stopped the boat, and l fired
into the head of the sawfish.
For a few moments the sawfish lay
quietly, and l thought he must be
dead. But suddenly he began the
most violent struggles, and for short
time made the water round him fairly
foam, as he rolled about, flashing the
surface with his fins and tail. But
soon his struggles grew weaker and
weaker, until finally he lay on the wat
er motionlesS.
AS soon as we were convinced that
he was dead. we pulled the boat along
side of him, and made fast to his body
with small line. We then prepared
to disentangle him from the net, the
whole length of which, about seventy
five feet, was wound in an apparently
inextricable snarl tightly round the
body. with large rents in it through
which his saw and fins protruded.
From the wound in his head the blood
was flowing, streaking the water with
red as it was carried up the channel
by the current, which was setting di-
rectly toward the man-eateEs' hole.
Selling the axe, l first cut off the saw
close to the head, and then laid it i'll
Dick to unwind the net by rolling the
body over and over, and dipping the
net over the head and fins where he
had thrust them through it. In this
manner we had recovered about TWEEN
| ty feet of one end of the net, when
heard sharp, cutting sound in the
water and saw it came from the gaff-
topsail-like fin of huge shark which
was rapidly cleaving the surface close
to us.
"a man-eaterr' shouted Dick. We'll
have to get away from here right of,
before he attacks the sawtish. The
smell of the blood has brought him.
Look, there's another one of tue
brutes!"
The two sharks slowly circled about
us, as if uncertain whether to attack
| the boat or the SawfiSh.
Throw the net overheard and cast
off the line. They are going to eat the
sawfish and us, too, if we don't hurry.
Dick was trembling all over, and
seemingly unable to control his move
ments. Fortunately for both of us,
had not as yet realized the danger of
our position, but remained perfectly
cool anod collected Hastily bundling
the net over the side, grabbed the
axe and cut the line attaching the boat
to the sawfsh.
At that instant one of the sharks
made rush, and cleaving the water
like lightning, ran his nose up over
the back of the sawfish and fastened
his Jaws into the flesh. Tugging at
it with all his might, like huge bull
dog. he tore large piece out and
GUIDED it down at one swallow. AT
this experienced for the first time a
realizing sense of the power and fierce
ness of the mOSters
| "Get out your oars and help me pull
rp on the shoal where they can't get
at usv' I shrieked to Dick.
There now appeared to be hve' or
six of the maneaters round us, and
they were gradually closing in on us.
as if embroidered by numbers. Again
there was a fierce rush at the sawflsh;
this time by two of the sharks, which
fastened upon tt carcass at the same
instant and puiild in opposite direc-
lions. We sat as if spellbound, wit
Messing the horrible struggle without
making an effort to escape, until SUD
denly there was grating sound under
the keel and our boat was lifted
bodily several inches out of the water.
If Dick had not promptly fallen down
in the bottom, we should in all prob
bility have been capsized.
One of the sharks had darted under
the boat from the opposite side to at
tack the sawfish, and as he rose had