New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-02-21
DANGEROUS FISH.

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DANGEROUS FISH
The idea Of fish constituting danger 10
human life or limb would hardly occur to the
angler who has never cast net line in trop-
c2i waters. Yet even in our own British
ard rivers We have at least TWO fish which
possess the power to make themselves extremely
unpleasant. There are several instances on
record OF bathers being attacked by pike. and
an old writer. Crull, tells Of giant pike inside
which was found the body of infant. Not
long ago good sized retriever which was
swimming IN the Thames just above Chittys
boathouse at Richmond was tackled by pike.
which bit one Of its hind legs So badly as to
sever an artery 1t was another Thames pike
which attacked that well known naturalist and
fisherman. Mr.. Cholmondeley-Penn He had
arrusllv landed the fish. when il SpTanE from
- -r,,5 su5 fixed all is sf,a-r, tetF, into his
leg Just above the knee The creature hung SO
serceiy to its hold that stick had 10 be used
- Dry its jaws apart.
The other British fish which can truly he
called dangerous is the Conger eel. The eXpe-
renced sea fisherman takes care TO kill every
large Conger as soon as IL Is brought INTO the
boat. The CGnser has not only extraordinary
Jaw power-it triturate shellfish. shells and
all-hut IS also 50 ahonlnably active that the
fsherman's opinion 81 II comedies with that
held Of the Indian by the Western plainsman:
no good conger except dead conEer-'
Ugly and savage brute the conger Is. il is
q lamb compared with its relative. the green
moray Of RermUdian waters. This great eel is
o. unnaturally brilliant green. and has an
eye which is the very epitome Of intense and
malignant ferocity- II is voracious and savage
holy horror Of it that they absolutely refuse 10
allow q moray into the boat. An acquaintance
Of the writer. q marine officer fishing in small
boat off Bermuda, hooked one Of these hSh: but
as his boatman saw the hideouS head
above the water n whipped out his knife and
made 10 cut the line The officer shouted TO him
% stop. bat had to threaten to throw the man
overheard before he would put up his knife
When the great eel was pulled over the side
the negro went ABSOLUTELY ashy with fright.
As fer the moray. no sooner was il in the boat
than il doubled upon itself and its jaws met
with g clash in its own side, cutting out a chunk
Of white flesh as neatly as scoop would cut
cheese. That was enough for the officer. He
picked Up a boathool and forked the uncanny
creature overheard.
The s5rangest shark story which ever came to
the writer's Ears was Of q shark that charged
e steamer This was in Queen Charlotte's
Sound and an account Of the incident appeared
81 q Vancouver paper. The captain Of the
steamer which was small craft of only fifty
tons or SO. saw the shark on the surface on
the port bow, and could not resist the tempta-
ton % taking a shot at il with his rife. H
hit his mark wharcupon the monster-said u
have been fully twenty feet in length-deliber-
eteIy charged the steamer The boat qulvered
from stem u stern. ana the captain SAID afjer-
ward that II ike striking rock After
this display Of temper Master Shark had had
enough OF Il and sank out Of sight,. c.
Bridges. in Chambers's Journal
THE GORGE OF THE CAMEL-CALF."
Under any sky # must ever be a strange and
-ro-75arf,l1 sna-4acle worthy almost TO rank a
an eighth wonder Of the world. But 1t Is one Of
natures wonders. the naHd Of man has had
uaught 10 do with il. the railway that WINDS
through it IS an incongrUity; IT should by rights
be trodden only 10y wandering Bedoulh or pl"us
hs11is b- SLOW pacing calneis. or by the swift
footed gazele that may be seen even now from
the train skipping meTrlN from rock 70 Igth-
+ is on the Pilgrims Way; and / would lam
see here once more. in this weird setting, those
wonderful pilgrim caravans / saw them be
fore on the Mecca Road or in the streets Of
Jlddah and I have tried 10 describe them 70
readers Of these pages III former spaI'' r.
-E-r.f~ 81
pistol shots. those doubtless most eficacious
means Of frightening from their path the evil
spirits with which they peoIIe-SureiE not
wholly without reasOn-thiS tremendous gorge
They should be seen. hurrying through the nor
I'D pass. a tumUltuoUs, picturesque mass 81
EWavinE shuEduf and jolting takftaraNan- OF
g7l~g7ing camel and white clad hail But. .alasl
il is not now the season q Hal. and even -%fei'
three months later, that season begins, there
nii be no more caravans, no more cries. no more
pistol shots These have gOne-perhapS forever
from the Pilgrims Way. The pIUSaic tbut II
must be admitted, most useful train has taken
the place Of the glorious old Worlu caravan II
Tuffs its way among the bristling rocks "lth
business-like air that must surely put TO m
Slant fight any sef-respectlng spirit eva or the
feyerse who NAV still linger in their haunted
fecesses. Even before the actual gorge IS
reached and douby within it, the rocky NILS
tRke on the wild forms Of tuTret and pinnacle
&ad soaring hummOck-Split with deep cleftS
Tortured into narneless forms. here q monster
chimney. there 2 column Of giant stone pud-
oings, piled one on the other. ana crowned WIN
what must assUredly be q Cornish rocklns
stone. could but climb up and shake II ana
Bee 4 IL moves. And al spring from q - liCe
OF rolling sand ribbed like the ssashore blown
into swelling mounds and drifts. now ana thei
heaped into a smaller raonticle with without
headstone. the nameless grave Of some ha1Ji
fallen by the way: everywhere dotted with the
familiar tussocks Of heritage and only kept from
Invading the line in some places by a fencing OF
shrubs. The rails wind Tor some hIleth "l
twenty miles through narrow clefts or broad
Passages. between the towering rocks. ana AZ
last come To the level ON the plain OF III HER OF
"