The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-17

on our faces that poor Bill had dived
clean down it's throat
The poor old man had a fit right away
and We carried him below and put him
in his hammock and then ran up on
deck again in the hope that we should
be able to catch the fellow.
But it was nowhere to be seen, so
after watching some time to no purpose
we went down below to see how the old
man was getting on, and to our astonish-
ment and sorrow we found his body
nearly cold and as stiff as the flying jib-
boom.
We sewed him up in his hammock,
putting the grindstOne that he used to
grind his tools with inside to make it
sink, and laid the body on a hatch with
the union jack spread over it for a pail.
Then the skipper read the funeral SER
vice, all of US standing round
As soon as the skipper had finished
| the last words, which shall never for
get-they was so solemn-the hatch was
tipped up, and overheard the body went
with a splash, and all was over-at least
we thought so.
But almost Immediately afterward up
comes another shark-a bigger one, it
seemed, than the frst-certainly it was
thicker.
The boatswain at once ran for the
! shark hook and baited it with a junk of
pork and slung it over the stern, and it
was not many minutes before we had
him hooked and hauled on deck.
Well, the first thing we did was to
cut his tail off, for he was tapping it
about 50 that it shook the ship from
stem to stern and we were afraid it
would shake her to pieces.
After we had done that we thought
we heard a very strange noise inside OF
| hin-a sort of grating sound, like a
| boat being dragged Overa shingly beach
| So we set to and cut off his head and
then ripped him up, when, what d'you
| think, what should we see, to our great
establishment and delight but Bill and
| his father sitting upright like two 10
/ nahs, the yOungster turning the grind
stone and the old man sharpening his
knife. intending to cut their way out
| of the creatures belly.
You say I said the old man was dead.
| Please don't interrupt me, and III tell
you all about it
There's no doubt but what he seemed
dead. but it was only his blood froze
| with horror, and the shark warmed
/ him to life again.
What made him most uncomfortable.
Bill said. was the slipperiness ard
topsy turvinsss of the place, for there
was no rest al all, for one minute he
was standing on his head and the next
on his feet and then tossed from one
| side to the other, sometimes getting
jammed between its ribs. and he Won
dered the meal didn't disagree with the
| fish itself.
But at last came the climax, and Bill
| thought it was all over with him, for
down us throat was SnOC a nedNX DQQy
/ like a sack of Goals right atop of him.
nearly snothering him, so that he had
Fscarcely room to move or breathe, and
he must have been some time insensi-
bic, he said. when he was woke up by
a loud report.
He thought for a moment the crea-
ture had swallowed a powder barrel
and it had exploded, but it was only
the bursting Of the canvas shrOud the
old man was sewed I'D in, which had
blown up like a paper bag.
The noise in its inside, Bill said, must
have astonished the shark, for he again
found himself standing uDon his head.
50 he knew it was making for the sur
face and on reaching there it opened its
enormous laws for air. when a flood of
light entered between the rows Of
teeth. which enabled Bill. on gaining
his feet to take stock of his odgings,
and the very first thing that he saw
was his old father crawling out from
under the canvas like a chick from its
she'll
The old man had caught sight of the
grindstone and soon put it into work
ing order and on the fish once more
coming to the top and again admitting
/ light Bill a once saw what was in the
wind, and they commenced business al
once, when they were startled by q
sudden change in the sharks move
ments. and soon they distinctly heard
the sound of human voices. and thes
knew they were saved.
Well we all was so thankful at Their
miraculous escape from the jaws Oh
I death that every mothers son of US or
board took our solemn affidavits thai
we'd never tell a lie or anything of thai
kind again, and me and my mate have
kept our words ever since.