The sun., 1901-10-06
SHARK FISHING OFF HAVANA.
AHARD rUssLE ~ A SMALL BOAr
WIN AN ELEvEN-FOOTER.
r,t the Monster Towed the Boat About
-Tren He Tried Ramming n thirty
eight stabs with . spear Needed 20
supdue Him-Not Dead Even Then.


siEht stabs with . Spear Needed 20
subdue Him-Not Dead Even Thea.
.Fishing for the leaping tuna with q
.~.nty-oincc rod and being towed out 10
A., by a SSi-pound bass may be excellent
mort. but it's not one, two. three compared
-i,h the excitement and sport obtained
nv ashinx for sharks from a small Cuban
rowhoai remarked tho President Of the
Non Alcoholical- on-Hypobolich Fshing
Club when the member with the medals
hat told how he won the tuna prize.
No one having made any audible OBJ
tsfion. the President ordered a round Of
,rl,zer lemonade. and proceeded 10 reel on
b. yarn
1 don't know n any Of YOU fellows are
aware that | spent part OF last winter In
suha travelling about the island. but re-
ria,niug most - the time in Havana where
,h. greater portion of my business called
re Now. Havana Il not a particularly
i,.Iv place and after a few DAYS. during
which everything that Is worth while being
sen has been taken In. you commence 20
~1nd-r what you arc going 20 do. That
& Just what happened 10 me after l had
,-u' the first week and seen everything
II
~ Havana picked up an acquaintance
With a little Cuban. who Is a major in the
Cihan army Ono afternoon tho Conan
dante / always called him by his title as
b. seemed 20 Ike II. and IL came much easier
than remembering his suddenly
asked me II ! liked fishing Then he wanted
O. know n would like 10 60 out on the
following morning after red snappers.
jumped az the chance and we engaged
fisherman named Pedro TO take us. After
w. had made our arrangements Pedro
asked mo how | would enjoy fishing for
shark After moments hesitation I
replied that preferred fishing for red
.nappers. bat that he might take along
tha lines and bait for shark fishing and
would think the matter over.
'Do YOU really intend to fish for a shark
trs Comandanie asked as soon a. we had
l.r Pedro. There was something in his
manner that warned me TO answer la the
Negative or that otherwise | would have
todo without my faithful companion
I am glad ~ that, replied the Conan
dante. for II would have been pretty
risky business Those fishing boats ars
pretty small AFFAIR."
The next morning A. 2 o'clock the ser
want awoke me and planting a cup of cof-
loo on tAif lalif ~ tilf lfHil W n~Nl VA
formed me that the Scfur Comandante
would be ready In fifteen minutes lost
~ time in getting out of bed and In al
lowing my cup 81 coffee That Cuban
custom ~ taking cosfce the first crack
out of IN. box In the morning h funny
one. bu, you have no idea how good Il
tastes after YOU become used 70 its strong
efertS.
We found Pedro waiting for US His
boat, a small affair about twelve feet long
ltxt.
o. the wharf P~iro was accompanied
hv another man about ffty. WHOSE weather
beaten features showed liat he had spent
more than one year on Cuha's coast To-
g-ther the mon hois;ed the sail and IN.
clumsy boat began TO move slowly through
the water.
The morning was an ideal one The
first rays Of the rising sun were Just com
ing over the grand old Moro aud PLAYING
on The small ripplee of the dArk-blue water
No one who has no; seen the wonderful in
digo effect 81 the Cuban waters can imagine
the beautiful picture which unfurled itself
hetoro my ewes as we crep' out of the hay,
pas, the Morro and down the palm-dottcd
beach.
We went nine miles from the city To a
place known az Sharks hin According
fo Pedro the water there was alive with
snappens. as well as sharks, and afforded
excellent sport. but the chief difficulty
lay In the mcagfe possibility of landing
your prize, as the sharks generally man
aged To yank the snapper OF the hook
before you could haul II into the boat
Ivrn ms the boat swung around in the
current and before We had cast our lines
couple Of fins passed close TO VS. AT "A lively
clip They were monsters and the rush
~ the water, as they rolled about, boded
III for anything that came within their
reach We waited until the brigadiers.
tic name given TO them by the Cuban
fishermen. had disappeared before cast
'Hg our hnes, but when we did 80 We were
amply repaid for our journey The Com
Hndante was the first To land a fish. which
he did Ia excellent style. hauling out a
fvc-pound snapper In less than fifteen
minutes We had seven excellent fish then
ve heard from the brigadierS
had a splendid bite and after a mo-
m"n''s wait | managed to hook hsh
which. Judging BY it's weight, must have
reel A. " ran out. In manner which h"-
spoke n good priv 4 rush. a halt. another
rush and started 10 pull the beauty toward
tie boat Forty feet away ] caught a
simp-c 9th" snapper az 1t came TO The sur
flr, then suddenly tho water boiled On
nv left, dark I'm cut the surface, Pedro
y"l"d there was a moments struggle NJ
The end 81 the line and | rceled u VA minus
my hook, Ash and all the brigadier had
madc a clear and first scpre.
hNed NV line and made ready for
smother caSt Almost immediately I hooked
Nv h~h, hu' unlike the first time the shark
'i not allow me 10 play my catch A
'"inus pull which almost j-rked the rod
.T' ~ nv hand, followed by n tagging
'." '"ld nee that his snapper had followed
g. Predecessor
j rIi TIE to 10" quick to losr Ash in
.- manner, especially a. Pedro kept pull
~ hem In almost - fast ~ he could halt
- h'uk ! made up nay mind to try once
moro. hut Just ~ was about to hesvr tho
hre an enormous shark with iAair ~ ey.s
vnro booked like billiard balls. hogan 10
CIfri" ahIui the hoat A. he swan lie oc-
Cl'luua.ly turned over showing his white
oil, and n mouthful % snow white teeth
! announced NV intention ~ trying 10 catch
l.r aur "" NJ ouCe hauled In the lines
cleared "v"fvthing uut ~ the way, un-
t"iT-vi ih" mast and mad. ready for the
cInIiur fight The hook was halted with
MIN" puuud cherHd and everything now
t"iug ready ! dropT.'d the line overheard
v'h q Er"a' splash. Pedro and his AID.
I'h"d up the oar and padded gently
y toward the ,iiy
10" hook va~ \ big one and was mad"
i.' 'H ~" f"oi - chain. which In turn was
iI.'"r"J 90 stout line. This last was
"HI'i Ip iu M. how of th" beat 80 that y
yt i,sN uu' rapidly and -moothly Tho
- va,a small AFFAIR such a. one would u-e
arg hss-. bat u was made fast % n ten