The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1903-07-25
THE TIGER
OF THE SEA

island of Mauritius, off the east coast
of Madagascar From London to the
island not single shark was sighted
Thirty miles off the island. as the voy-
age was resumed. II shark, judged to
be evenly feet long, suddenly appeared
on the port quarter not over fifteen
feet from the side OF the vessel
We tempted him with all kinds Of
bait, but he refused everything. First
we gave him piece of pork on hook
He paid no attention TO It. We chang
ed to beef, then To chicken, but he
would touch neither.
II was noon next day before we tried
the shark again. but we had no better
luck, He simply ignored the bait The
men began to whisper about accident
and death, and the captain brought
up blundcrbnss loaded with slugs and
took fair shot at the fellow. lie was
only about a foot below the surface.
and the heavy charge struck him Mt
the base OF the dorsal fin and nearly
tore II away. The shark made n sud,
den rush, but only for n few feet The
smoke had not yet blown away when
he resumed his old position. His start
was one Of surprise instead of pain.
lie had learned caution however, aud
he sank down until lac had two feet Of
water over him. Some of the men
dropped objects over the bow with
great splashing but the shark paid no
attention to the noise
For nine long days aud nights he
kept the place where we had first secn
him, and during this time we had two
or three squalls and two days of heavy
weather So long ns n man leaned
over the rail 10 watch him he kept his
wicked eyes fastened on that man. and
when any one was aloft aud laying
out on yard the brutr's jaws could
be seen working ms If he had tine tnste
Of sailor on his tongue He might
have followed us 10 the end of the voy
nge but for n curious incident
on the morning of the ninth day we
approached n large sworhnsh sleeping
on the dancing waves We were with
In hundred feet of him when the
crcakinG Of the yards or the voices of
the men disturbed him aud he came
tearing down on the port side ana ran
right over the shark ind away out of
sight. II the shark was not struck he
was Mt least badly frightened. for he
Innde off and We did not set eyes on
him again.
While the American hnrk Rocket
from New York 10 Santos, wns lying
bccnlnIed on the equator shark tween
~ -four feet long suddenly appeared
on her stnrboarl aide amidships aud
only few yards away. lie lay head
and tail with In" ship, and the car
pcuter got his length 10 an inch by
measurements along the rail The
spread of the monsters Jaws was such
thnt he could easily have taken flour
barrel into his mouth
There was 10 shark hook aboard.
but the captain, being willing to divert
the crew, gave them leave To throw
over u lot of pork which had become
unit for eating There were four full
barrels of this pork. nnd IT was fed out
piece hy piece To that shark til the
last pound was gone. It was SO stated
by officers ana men, and there Is no
reason TO doubt their vcrncity.
w men INC PORK WIS InlNl'n, n llt''f
OF beef was thrown over the port rail.
and the shark Owed under the ship
aud seized II How much longer he
would have gone on eating no one
could say, as there WAS no more to
give him lie seemed % lac rs raven
GUS FOR the last piece ne for the first
How one shark could hold nil that
meat and another 20 eight days with
out eating n thing is yet another uucs
ton for discussion.
While Off the southeast coast OF
Java in the New Bedford whnlcr
Joshua Lee we one day came upon a
native craft floating on her beam ends
She had crew OF six men nhourd.
but they were frightened and helpless
The craft had no cargo In her and Ind
taken considerable water through her
single hatchway, which had been left
open
We sent a boat aud cut away her
maets and rightcd her and then n
strange discovery was made There
was three feet OF winter tn her hold.
and dashlng about IN the water was
shark fourteen feet long He had come
aboard with IA sru, and instead OF being
left on deck had gone down the hatch.
way. The natives abandoned the wreck
for the whalcr, and three weeks later
she was driftrd ashore on the Sandal
wood island with the shark SIN alive
aud rushing about, although he had
had nothing to eat and the water was
very foul
ON that same cruise The whalcr ran
into the port Of BHrunc, Java. 20 make
repairs Some fishermen had caught
shark nine feet long In their not, and
he had been lying ON the beach three
hours when saw him Some of our
men went 10 the ship and got pork
barrel. knocked out both heads and
slipped the she'll over the shark and
drove II down TO his bulge He WAS
then rolled into the water aud the tide
roatcd him ont In n quarter OF an
hour he was swimming about aud
headed for the open sea.
Sixteen days later. when 80 miles 10
the south. that sclfsamr shark came
alongside There could be- no doubt OF
his identity because he still wore his
wooden Jacket. The harr,l had Shruuk
10 him SO tightly that no effort " his
could remove IL II must have bother
ed him about keeping under water, but
Il did not seem to affect him otherwise.