The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-11-01
THE DAILY GATE CITY

until It is killed or lost, and although
we passed many others by the way
we left them unmolested. For a brie
space we were In view of our chase
but, rendered wary by experience. HI
zig-zagged SO cleverly that at length
he managed to elude US altogether.
As we gazed and waited shadow,
form dimmed the rays OF faint ligh'
above us--we had inadvertently sur
prised one of the great sharks. This
time Folliott pursued other tactics
opening the barred door that gave
egress, and, giving my hand a final
grip, he passed out into the sea. No'
word was spoken. The hearty and
cordial Folliott, loquacious In club
room or in scenes Of gaiety, was more
phlegmatic than Finn at such time
Nor am emotional. but | confess to q
feeling of consuming anxiety as / saw
him swim away. steadily, and with .
dexterity In his motions that surpris.
ed me.
! watched his progress with close
scrutiny through pair of Ahernberg's
water glasses and saw faint scintila-
tons of the subdued light on the
sword he grasped. Dimly beyond him
was the indistinct outline Of a form
that a moment after assumed shape
and proportions. Folliott, and in his
wake the submarine, approached it.
We were advancing slowly and eau
uously; any sudden motion would
have Immediately aroused the atten-
ton and suspicion of the shark; as 1t
was, he continued undisturbed, swing
ing lazily, suspended midway betwixt
surface and sand.
I held my breath as Folliott drew
closer and yet closer to his prey; as
beheld his sword arm gradually up
lifted; his body, within its ridiculous
encasement of ocean arnor, stiffened
for the lunge. In fraction Of time,
with mastery swoop, Folliott buried
his sword to the hilt in the side of the
monster.
The scene is indelihly fixed In MY
brain, the murkiness illumined only
by the dim percolaton of light from
above through the water, perturbed
now by the mad swirlings; the form of
Folliott, clad in marvellous mechanism
looking like an aquatic dragon strug-
Cling with some gigantic reptile in
the waters CT primeval world.
/ saw Folliott's sword pierce again
and again the hide of the shark; I
saw him deftly avoid It's angry rushes
as it turned over to grip its assailant
within fierce jaws. The hunter was,
however firing. The enormous exer-
lions required to manipulate the cum
brous dress would have long since
overcome any man of less powerful
physique, of less determined mind,
than Folliott. The shark, on the other
hand, still stroye with amazing ten
acity Of life and vigor, notwithstand-
ing that the water was so darkened
with its blood that the form Of either
man or fish were now almost undis-
cernible. Fearing the worst, signal
ed to the engineer to approach, took
lance in my hand, and opened the cage
door to its widest.
But the pellucid waters of the high
er sea were already dimmed with many
phantom forms. Like birds of prey
flocking to wounded beast came null
titudinous sharks craving madly to
feast upon the slaughter.
Now, from out of that fearful murk,
did see Folliott swimming slowly, as
If exhausted, towards his ship Of ref
uge. But close upon him was the shad-
ow of a shark. How wildly did re-
proach myself for permitting Folliott
to throw away his life for such ven
ture. motioned to the steersman to
turn that the gate of deliverance
might be fraction nearer to my
friend-a fraction that might mean Sc
curity. / thrust my lance despairingly
between the bars that it might per-
chance scare off some lurking enemy.
Folliott was very near.
l rushed to the cage door and held
out my hand, hoping to hasten his slow
progress to safety. From above, from
beneath, from this side and that, came
the one vision of many triangular
jaws; of many long, dorsal fins and
pale colored bellies; of cleaning NAL
ignant pig-like eyes without number.
Before Folliott could grasp my prof
fered fingers within his own the de-
mons were upon him.
Come, Folliott-come." cried.
reckoning not in my excitement that
he could not hear me.
He plunged his sword into them
with the last effort of his arm, and
then, as he fought to his last breath,