Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-02-21

Americas Bergall, a charter mem
Der, told of an experience Of his
earlier days, when he was a sailor.
on a voyage OF the bark Henrietta
Tavely. New York for Honolulu.
The Henrietta Tavely,' said Mr..
Bergall, was q flush deck ship,
with just low iron rail running
round her. | was standing one
day when we we're nearing the
equator, in the Pacific Ocean, by
thu lee main rigging. splicing rore
what's thatg No, not the main
brace, just plain common rope.
opening up the strands with an
iron marlinspike, and getting along
all nice aud comfortable when big
sea plunked into the old hooker on
the weather side aud heeled her oy,r
O. that J., having both hands full
at the time, went over the low rail
on the lee.
She was making, should say,
about eight knots at the time, and
so, you see, slid along her side
pretty fast. and OF course close to
it with the slight leewsy she WAS
making, and | calculated that Id
hit the mizzen chains, sure, aud
hold on there and boiler. and then
be taken aboard again. Bot !
missed them by hands breadth
and then when | hollered | couldn't
be heard for my head was under
water, being carried down. nov
by the weight Of the marlin spike.
which I'd stlll hung onto when |
vent overheard, aud which still
held
'You see it WAS instinct for me
to hold on to the marlin spike and
you must remem Der, too, that going
overheard and sliding along the
ships, aide. aud grabbing A. the
mIzzap ohains, though IL seems 10
include lot Of happenings. all 70.
ally took place in a very few acc
onds. ! was under water aslern
almost before had time 10 think,
and still holding on to the marlin
spike, which | knew now we'll
enough was carrying me down, bit
which ! hated to let 60 Of, even
then. 1t seemed like giving up
the last familiar thing that bound
me to life and the things | knew.
And. as matter Of fact that mo.
mentary hesitation resulted not in
my letting the marlin spike 60. bnt
in my hanging onto il tighter than
ever, with the final result that
saved my life by it.
"ln that momentary deliberation |
| brushed against something thai
WAS passing, as | had brushed |
against the aide OF the ship; bot |
this new thing was something very |
it was a great shark that /
was following the ship. ] struck |
him about m'dships, and rubbed |
rapidly alo & his sandpapery like
aide, forgetting now, again. all
about the marlinspike holding /
onto it now instipctivelv, as had |
done before. but thinking now on
lV Of the shark, and how | could /
get away from him. But as | sid |
along his side. as he sid ahead |
through the water, another thought |
struck me, that I'd nail onto his
tail, when that came along, for q
and because that was the
farthest from his head, and then |
had vague sort OF an idea that !
was going to do this because the
shark was going my way, toward
the ship.
"As he slid along--all this occu-
plying, of course, not more than a
second or two, but man can do a
heap OF thinking ia a very short
time under such ciroa m stances-I |
kept en- eye out for his tail, and |
when this came along, | nailed onto
the long, projecting, upper lobe Of |
tit was whiptail shark, and
shorter, about 30 feet long-and |
hung onto it. AS the shark drew
ahead my body swung around, and
out in the water with
q jerk that made me tighten my
grip on the sharks tail, to bold on,
and that brought the shark up like
ahnttinO off tho ataann wauid taLa