Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-10-04
otcr. an, they Cart help It."

Unconscious that he had stated thu
primordiai thesis. he left the foragers
alone, Hauling the sail out of the wa
ter. he discovered that tho stern board
was missing, broken of probably when
tho mast fell. His trained scrutiny
soon solved a puzzle suggested by the
state Of the cordagc. Under ordinary
conditions the upper part Of the mast
would either have carried the soil clean
AWAY with Il or be found acting as q
sort of sea anchor at short distance
from the boat.
But 1t had gone altogether, and the
strands Of the sail rope were bitten,
not torn, asunder. The shark had
striven to pull the boat under by tug
cling at the wreckege.
Having made the canvas shipshape,
Jim settled the next pressing question
by selling an empty tin and sluicing
the fore part. Then he passed rope
under the after thwart and reeved it
through q ringbolt in rock placed
there for mooring purposes in very
calm weather like the present.
When the Trinity tender paid her
monthly visit to the lighthouse she was
moored to a buoy three cable lengths
away to the northwest. If there was
the least suspicion Of Il sea over the
reef it was indeed ticklish task land
ing or embarlilng stores and men.
Closehauled. the boat would ill for
ward as the tide dropped. This was
matterless. BY that time all her NOV
able contents--she appeared to have
plenty Of timed meat and biscuits
aboard, but no water-would be re-
moved to the storeroom.
The sailor was sorting the packages
wondering what queer story of the
deep would be forthcoming when the
recent history of the rescued child was
Observation-Disclosures Brand hailed him.
Look out there, Jim. am lowering
an ak"
The weapon was duly delivered.
"What's the ak for. cap'n?" was the
natural query
II want to chop out that sharks
teeth. They will serve as mementos
for the girl if she grows up, which Is
likely. judging by the way she is yell
ing at Jones.
.Wot's he dom of" came the sharp
demand.
Giving her bath, and excellently
we'll too. He is evidently quite domes-
Heated"
"If that means under Mrs. IS
thumb you're right. cap'n. They tell
me that when he's ashore"
Jim, the first time | met you you
were wheeling perambulator. Now
load the skip and will haul in
They worked in silence a few min.
utes. Brand descended and few
we'll placed cuts relieved the man eater
of the serrated rows used to such seri
GUS purpose in life thai he had attained
length of nearly twelve feet. Sci
double in the lower jaw and single in
the upper, they were Of size and
shape ominously suggestive of the
creatures voracity.
st is a good thing" said Brand
calmly hewing at the huge jaws, that
nature did not build the Carcharodor
galeidoe on the same lines as an al
llgator. If this big fellows sharp EN-
broidery were not situated so close &c
his stomach he would have made q
meal of me, jim unless I carried g
torpedo"
Hes blue shark" commented the
other, ignoring for the nonce what, he
termed "some Of the cap'n's tawbreak
ers."
ayes. 1t is the only dangerous
species found so far north.
His teeth are like so many fixet
bayonets. OF course you would like t
keep 'en, but he would look fine in {
museum. Plenty # folk in Pcnzance
especially visitors would pay Dol
n head to see him
Brand paused in his labor.
Listen jim" he said earnestly. Z"
want both you and Jones to oblige nj
by saying nothing about the shark
Please do not mention my connection
with the affair in any way. The stor.
will get into the newspapers as it is
The additional sensation of the figh
would send reporters here by the score
l don't wish that to occur"
do you mean to say
"Mr. Jones will report the picking III
of the boat and the finding Of the baby
, together with the necessary burial o
q man unknown
. "What sort of a chap was he?" in
terrupted jim.
81 don't know-a sailor-that Is a
, l can tell ysu He must have bee
, dead several days"
"Then how in the world did tina
baby keep alive"
II have been thinking over that prof.
lem. l imagine that, in the first place
there was a survivor who disappeare
since the death Of the poor devil on
, there" He pointed to the sea- "Thi
, person, whether man or woman, locke
after the child until madness came
caused by drinking salt water. TIL
next step is suicide. The little ont
left living, fell into the bilge create
I by the shipping Of sea and adopted
by the mercy Of Providence, a metho
: of avoiding death from thirst whic
ought to be more widely appreciate
: than it is. She absorbed water throug
the pores of the skin which rejecte
! the salty elements and took in onl
, those parts Of the compound needed
y the blood. You follow meT
: .'Quite. It's a slap-up idea"
, at is not new. 1t occurred to
IT,. oil