Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-22
SHARKS ARE FIGHTERS
ONE BIT OAR III TWO AFTER HIS
HEAD WAS OFF.
Old Salt Water Sailor Tells Of Vigorous
as
Experience in the South
Atlantic.

I just believe that story I see In the
papers about a. shark biting mans hand
nearly on after the fisf's own head had
been cut or is true; every word OF it
solemn truth. said an old saltwater sailor
to group of friends the other day.
"Why?" one of his listeners asked.
why? Because a shark Is the meanest.
ornarest son of seacook that swims in the
ocean. I know him. He's cowardly. too.
but once get him at close quarters. where
you have the advantage Of him. Then ne
is as much like a rat as anything I can
think of and will fight to the bitter end.
Il mind me OF a fight with one OF these
fellows in which whole ships crew took
part. and II you want to hear about it I'll
spin you the yarn"
OF course. every one was interested, and
the ancient mariner proceeded
"A few years after the end of the war
l was one Of the crew of a pretty good
sized bark that sailed out OF Philadelphia
in ballast, bound for port in Brazil.
where we were to load up with cargo OF
rosewood and other stuff. The old bark
had crew Of first-class men. Every one
OF them was a sailor man from the cap
tain's steward up to the ships cook. and
most of 'em had seen hard service on
blockade duty aboard men-of-war when the
fight between the states was goin' on.
Big Shark Was Follerin'.
I'VE got pretty well down in the south
Atlantic when one of the men-a fellow
named O'Stanley-took sick. Very sick he
was. and you'd hardly believe it. but the
day after he was laid up in his hammock
it was noticed that big shark was follerin'
the ship.
He was surely waitin' for O'Stanley to
die. That's a way sharks have: They
smell death and wait for a poor sailor man
to breathe his last and then pounce on him
when his mates heave him overheard.
This shark was one of them kind that
are always attended by lot of little fish,
called pilot fish. They guide him to his
prey, and probably get the crumbs that
fall from the big fish's table.
9TH old man come out of his cabin when
the shark was reported and gave orders
for us to catch that ugly gentleman. This
was just what we wanted, so we bent
stout rope to a big iron hook, baited 1t
with big piece of salt pork. made the
line fast to stanchion and hove the meat
overheard.
Did 1t take Mr.. Shark long to come to
dinner? l guess not. He must been
very hungry.
.'All hands that could be spared got hold
OF the rope. and 1 swear we had the hard
est kind Of work in getting him aboard.
But we got him and hauled him over
the rail on the starboard quarter. Fellows,
Fight Began in Earnest.
AFTER we got him on deck the fight
began In earnest.e0The old devil had no
Idea of giving in and pranced around worse
than dancing master on a waxed floor
He snorteds and grunted and thrashed
the deck with his fury, and 1t was danger
Gus to come near him The hands beat him
with iron belayin' pins and marlinspikes.
and the old man put the contents Of two
revolvers under his barnacle hide; but lie
was in for a fight to the finish. o-~a-
AT last the cook, with a sharp ak, cut his
Internal heads0n just below his shoulders;
only he didn' t0have any shoulders
We'll, that sort O. quieted him, but he
was for still shown fight. and his jaws
opened and snapped yiciously. One of tho
boys stuck an oar into his mouth and l
swear that, although the monster hadn't
had no head for at least ten minutes. he
just crunched that oar between his teeth
as easily as you could toothpick
Mess Was Awful.
1.-THE mess he made. ON the after part of
the deck while he was givin' up the ghost
was awful 1t took about half the after
noon to clean up. So don't you discr"dit
any yarn about a shark using his fangs
when he's beheaded.
''The saddest thing about the whole bust
ness was that poor O'Stanley died just
about eight bells the next afternoon. Them
pilot fishes knew he was goin to peg out
and just let the shark know it, That's q
way them creatures has"