The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11

the natives that weren't helping to pull
the canoe were leaning over the side. one
way or another, ana slappinG and ohurning
the water with all their might and making
all Of the noise out Of their countenances
that they knew how to. That settled It.
The sharks Dispersed like a bunch Of
stampeded mountain goats, ana l was
hauled into the canoe and bawled at by
the old lime juicer fatfoot for my bloody
Yankee heejiocy until was tossed up on
1 the beach.
THAT experience caused me to learn
! several things about The shark. The hrst
| Of en- was that the shark is the most
natural-born coward that swims, and that
he il twenty times more afraid Of splash
ing human being in the water than water
moccasin Is of bowling small boy in an
inland creek.
Five or six years after that, what do
have to do but to step on sleeping shark.
a sleeping cat in the dark. as matter OF
fact, but it ratified me lot more.
This came OF down in La Libertad.
Salvador. A big raft OF us from the ship
were in swimming from the beach.
Il was wading around, trying to find a
deoently soft footing. the going under.
meath being pretty badly cut up with small
on something that felt pretty good to
my feet. 1t was like stepping on a cork
mat In Turkish bath, only It was spongier,
and more yielding, although firm.
enjoyed it a good deal while it lasted,
and folded my arms and gszed content.
eddy at the garish-hued harbor. Then l
got the sudden dump.
Il thought, for an inst ant, that it was an
earthquake, or a seaside. or something
like that. The cushion that was standing
on just rose like trap door on the stage.
only suddener, and sent me sprawlng
underneath the water.
when i got my feet again and shook
the water out Of my eyes, ! saw the sharks
fin, headed seward; and at a rate that no
will make 1t was plain that the shark
was more a-skeert than l was, IL the time
that he was making to get away YVES any
guide to his state OF mind.
But. at that. l didn't lose any time
scrambling back to the beach. and when
got there sat down on the sand and looked
at my toes for long while. wondering how
they happened to be there.
The last time that got under the I'm
benign influence Of the old saki-swUzzling
Jap's Sign Of the Fish was on Fourth OF
July In Honolulu, something above dozen
years ago, and had to go up In balloon
to find my sharks that time.
Il was on shore leave that Fourth Of
July with the starboard watch and was
occasion. On the day before l had been
one Of our ships eight cared crew that beat
everything in the harbor over the four
mile course, and had to slough my share
OF the pot.
over near Waikiki the Americans Of
Honolulu were having the usual Fourth
of July doin's: There was only one extra
and that was a balloon ascension,
the first that ever took place in Honolulu,
and I believe the lnaf
THE balloonist, a confident cuss from
N. y, figured that an upper
air current would carry him somewhere
into the Nuuanu Valley behind Honolulu.
the of shore trade was blowing
strong. His balloon was a big one, ard he
with him and help him manipulate the
ballast, valves, and other gear.
And being, as have said, exceedingly
vino on that afternoon. Of course was
the volunteer. My messmates tried to
hobble me to royal palm. but I gnawed
the hawser-I hadn't ever teen up In a
balloon. and I wanted! to go, went.
weren't correct. TIE upper current didn't
take the balloon over into the Nuuanu
Valley.
"The OF shore trade carried the bulgy
old skyscraper right on TO seal dropped
a tear or two on the deck Of my ship as we
passed about a mile over her-and as we
rocketed toward Pearl Harbor the Roch-
ester balloonist saw his error and pulled
the ripcord. It ripped the whole side Of
the contraption. and we shot down great
deal faster than I'd ever thought possible.
"A little while before the basket hit the
water the balloonist and l jumped, and
when we came up we saw a Pearl Harbor
tug making four bells to pick us up. The
balloonist had hit the water about hun
dred feet from where struck, and he had
hit It sideways and was partly stunned.
80 that he had to hold himself up by float
ing on his back.
IThe tug wasn't more than halfway to
us before the sharks began to hem us in.
I remembered what had learned at Pa
pitt and set up one-man-power splash.
Ing, such as was never seen or heard OF
around the Line before. / yelled to the
balloonist to splash, but he was too much
stunned to pay any attention to me, and
Just lay there on top OF the water. The
tug picked me up first,
they were just yanking the balloonist
out OF the water when one OF the sharks
made his upward swoop. and when the tug
hands got the balloonist aboard he was shy
ono Of his legs. The shark had taken it
at the knee.
He didn't pick up the useful information
about splashing sharks away until he had
lost one Of his props