Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26
SHARK HUNTING.

l
| Down at the bottom of the sea events were
| nearing a crisis.
The diver unslung his moose With mar
Velous dizziness he slipped II over the head
| of the monster and threw up his hands in
| signal. Instantly those in the boat hauled
| IN the rope, the moose frightened and the
| shark was caught Have you ever caught
| a pickerel still-fshing? If so. you know
| that he sulks and comes up slowly, but
| without any resistance, except dead weight
! at first That is exactly what this shark
| did. up-up-up he came until the captain
| swore aloud.
IT'S swinde. The sharks dead" he
| cried.
| Remarkable Battle.
| Verbal refutation of that statement wasn't
needed There was a quick movement OF
the great fsh's tail. Kato shouted an or
| der, and those in the boat let the rope slip.
1t fairly sang on the gunwale as the shark
| darted down at the diver The man had
moved off a few feet but now he planted
| himself firmly, seized his puny little sword
| in both hands and waited. We saw the
| white of the monsters belly as he turned,
! Shark-faShon to seize his prey and the
| CLEAN of his murderous teeth Then the
! great bulk was hurled upon the diver. and
| IN the furious commotion OF the water sight
was mercifully shut off. / felt sick and
| sorry that L had come, and savagely wroth
| with Kato; kdto upon whose hateful, grin
! ming face | looked when I opened my eyes
| again.
| L Il
| on the surface Of the water. Then my
! eyes wandered to the bow OF the canoe,
and there. climbing upon the overhang. was
! the diver. He was unhurt, but pantf0g
| strongly. for he had been under water for
! three minutes. The blood that had come
| to the surface was not his, but his adver-
sary's. Standing firm to the onset he had
| bent swiftly to one side. as the shark darted
| at him, and, holding his weapon rigid. had
| SIT the great body almost to the tail. Then
| dropping his weight he had leaped Cor tho
fnr low. ,,I
mortally wounded creature might have
| struck him dead. Now he was squattiag
| comfortably on the forward deck grim
| ming at the captain, who had clamherad
! over the paddlemen to shake hands with
| him. l afterward asked him why he did
| not come to the surface at once after las
| soing his prey, and he gave two reasons:
| first. that a man in Underwater or on the
| surface is at the mercy OF a shark; second,
that. unwounded. the creature could lever
| have been landed. but might have stove
| in or overturned the boat He had been
| hunting sharks for years, he added, and
| never but once had been knocked down.
| On that occasion he succeeded in thrusting
upward and piercing his assailant.
Surrounded by Man-Eaters.
| Meantime the shark had died in final
| furry At signal from Kato the carcass
was pulled alongside and made fast to the
| thwarts Of the canoe with a small line.
| This accomplished We prepared to olsen
| tangle 1t from the rope, the whole length
| of which, about fifty feet, was wound in an
| apparently inextricable snarl from the wild
| rushing and thrashing of the monster in
| his death throes. 1 was busily intent on
! the subsequent securing of the shark to
the side of the canoe, when heard a sharp
cutting sound in the water and to my dis
| may, saw that 1t came from the gaff top
Sail-like fin of a huge shark which was
| coming up with the speed Of a torpedo
boat. The presence of this new monster
was likewise at once described by Kato and
| the others. In place of the almost DEATH
| like silence which had prevailed hitherto.
| an unearthly hubbub arose; for a
| more of similar cutting fins coming from
as many different directions, showed that
| the smell of blood from the dead shark had
! attracted whole school of the sleeping
monsters. Our diver hastily bundled the
| rope over the side, and Selling his kris, cut
| the line attaching the canoe to the shark.
| At that moment one of the pursuing mon
| sters made rush, and cleaving the water
| like lightning. his nose up over the
| back of the carcass floating alongside.
| A PeriIOus Position.
| At the first intimation of this new danger
| the canoes had begun a hasty scramble for
| the shore. but being farthest removed from
| the channel, we had not proceeded ten
| yards when we were surrounded on all
| sides by the man-eaters, who circed around
and gradually closed in on us. Thoroughly
aroused the crewmen worked like demons.
Suddenly there was a grating sound under
| the keel. and the frail craft was lifted
half out of the water. If the crewmen had
not promptly fallen into the bottom of the
canoe we should in all probability have
been capsized. A paddle. which in the
| element of the moment, l had seized and
put over the side and to which was hold
ing on mechanically. was torn from my
grasp and snapped In two by one of the
monsters.
The shore line was not over 200 yards
away. but the channel had become so mar
row and treacherous that we were obliged
to paddle slowly in order to avoid an upset.
The sharks bent every endeavor to hamper
u.s. nosinP the sides Of our boat and DASH
ing beneath the canoe and lifting 1t into
the air. Our position was now perilous in
the extreme. Swift as had been our flight
when the school had been first discovered
their pursuit had been far swifter, and as
the other canoes were some distance away
we had drawn upon ourselves the entire at
tentiOn of the man-eaters. Our crewmen
were becoming demoralized. and 1t seemed
only matter OF a few moments when We
must be capsized and torn to bits.
Saved by a Revolver.
In this crisis almost involuntarily seized
my revolver and fired at the ugly snout of
one Of the monsters. scarcely half dozen
feet away. and then in the very terror OF
desperation emptied each chamber wher-
ever a shadowy form disclosed itself. Me-
chanical as had been the thought and SUBJ
sequent action, II served the purpose. and
gave us the brief respite necessary to make
good our escape. Forgetting the human
prey, the unwounded sharks fell upon the
one had shot, and soon the living and dead
were all mixed up together in a whirling,
tumultuous mass. The water above them
as the horrible feast progressed, dubbed
and boiled like huge cauldron, willie the
noise OF the rending and tearing of flesh
was sickening.
A moment more and the exultant cries Of
Kato and the canoemen announced that we
were In shallow water near the Shore safe
from further attacks of the man-eaters
When the captain and 1 condoled with
Kato on the loss Of the lassoed shark he
said 1t made no difference: the fish was no
use to him.
Don't you eat them?" asked the captain.
No good to eat" said the chief and ex-
planned that he could catch them easily
with hook and line II he wished, but that
would not be sport The hunt was merely
for pleasure. Hunt again tomorrow he
added, Hospitality.
But we firmly declined. Once was enough.
Frequently these hunts end fatally to the
diver; sometimes to the crew. Last year
one of Kato's canoes was overturned and
the entire crew OF seven devoured by the
man-eaters. Kato himself has had more
than one narrow escape but his sporting