The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-10-13

slehuer bodleS whining and twisting
os they were towed along
Several sharks OF comparatively
small size approached the bait, which
was deftly jerked out OF their way;
whereupon they would turn clumsiIy,
wheel about. and try again. Finally.
up out OF the deep sea came the great
man-eater. looking so colossal that one
felt that u would be n matter Of chance
whether IL could be brought to terms.
II swallowed the huge bait ut one guIp.
swinging It's head TO one side with an
impatient movement as the serrated
teeth crunched upon the chain. As my
companion lifted the coral hook I paid
ont the tfne until perhaps ten feet had
been taken. and then jerked the steel
point Into the monsters throat.
The response nearly carried me over
board. Though well prepared for A., I
was thrown against the rail upon my
knees. and was elbow deep In water
before I could rellnquish the line, which
went over the side with an ominous
hiss. The stout manila rope. carefully
coiled forward. went 1eaping into the
cir like an endless snake as my com
paniOn turned the boat In the direction
~ the lying fish Qnd stood ready with
the oar To- steer her directly in its wake
The shark would have taken the entire
line had not seized u with n piece OF
canvas when about two hundred feet
had gone. stopping II with n turn, first
seeing that 10 had slipped into the notch
In the bow made for the purpose.
The FIRST rush Of the shark. Indicating
lts alarm. was In the nature OF stam-
pedc. On which every shark In the vicin-
ity. apparently. joined: so that for a
while our boat seemed 60 be the center
% shark brigade. I could distinctly
soc their forms beneath and on each
side % the boat flying along with u.s.
The effect OF checking the line was
possibly 10 enrage the stricken shark:
70 crowded on more speed and pulled
the light boat down almost bow under
80 that the deck was nearly flush with
the surface. and on each side rolled a
wave % foam az though from launch.
The shark had. either by chance or
from kuOwiedgc turned into the outer
and was momcntariiy cdging into the
deeper blue channel which was one OF
the arteries of the atoll. II became
necessary. therefore. TO slack away the
line. I was doing this when. without
warning. the monster made n terrific
luuge. perhaps Il had been attacked
by some even larger shark. or had sud-
denly awakened to It's danger: I'm any
event u bore away about nifty feet OF
the line with rush: then. turning
quickly. jerked the rope from the slot
and over the gunwale amidships.
II was n trick well devised-if. indeed,
u was n trick-and well carried out.
and had not been able To slack away
the line at once. the boat would have
nlled. As u was. the water poured Ina
as we sprang 10 the weather side. now
In air. IA I let go the line the boat
righted and the rope went whirling and
kissing out. n was n moments work 10
slip u into the notch again. and away
we went In the original direction, the
boat n third fun OF water.
The channel ran 10 the north for half
mile. then turned TO the westward
and spread out Into n wide passage OF
unknown depth. The shark. apparently,
was making for the open sea. and once
u got where the water was i've OF six
hundred feet deep II would sound. and
nothing could stop II. IL was necessary.
then. TO turn ~. n possible. before IL
reached deep water: SO we took up the
line and heaved. bracing hard back
against the seat. but after working ten
minutes the only perceptible effect was
that We were going faster. while the
line was 30 taut that II hummed like n
string Of musical instrument. We
then shipped the oars. my companion
holding and backing them against the
FISH. and n bucket was tossed over and
tOwed.
These expedlents seemed 70 urge the
shark 70 further efforts. and on we
rushed. headed for the outer sea. IL
was manlfestiy impossible to stop the
shark. and we had the alternative of
being lowed an indefinite distance or of
cutting the rope. Two miles ahead was
n fishing boat. so we decided to con-
tinuc the struggle until she was reach
ed-hauling on the rope: making foot.
now and then. but more often losing
two or three.
After perhaps another mile the buck
- and the oars had evidently made
themselves felt. and there was no
ticenble relaxation. The shark was ris-
Ing; either II had met a shoaHreef and
was climbing its banks. or II was losing
its strength. We assumed the latter,
and hauled the boat upon II. foot by
foot. Before we had gone another mile
! could see the dusky form. not ten feet
below. swimming sturdily along with
n powerful movement OF It's tall, the
pilot fishes and rcrl1oras atill alongside.
AZ though nothing unusual had occur
red. held the rope IN the bow with