Year: 1872

An officer of one of the ships Of the
United States Survey Service relate:
this instance of his own rashness and
narrow escape with his life. He waded
into the sea at Charlotte Harbor, Fla
to spear "stiugarees," a fish like 6
founder but with a curious rat like
tail:


81 had started upon q good sized stin
garee, probably about three feet in
length and about two in breapth, with 8
| beauty of tail, and soon the hunt be-
came interesting. Twice l had pierced
its body with the boat hook, and the
water in the immediate neighborhood
became dyed with blood.


The shoals extended out mile in
many directions in Charlotte Harber,
and /, in my excitement, had waded out
full half that distance from the shore. AT
least mile away from my men.-The
thought of danger never once entered
my head, though the harbor was full of
sharks, many of them twelve to fifteen
feet in length. My feet and legs were
bare, my pants being rolled up as high
as possible. But 1 had gone out some
distance from that depth, the water be-
ing up to my waist, and not dreaming
of peril, was bent upon the capture OF
the fish.


Suddenly, but why I could never
comprehend, l turned my eyes from the
stingaree, and looked into the harbor.
1 never saw that stingaree again for my
heart almost ceased to beat, as / beheld
monstrous shark, that no doubt had
scented the BLOOD of the wounded fish,
coming in a direct line for the place
where l was standing.


A feeling of horror pervadeI me at
once. Powerless, death stricken it seem.
ed, 1 gave one yell-shark !-and giving
one desperate, agonizing look towards
my men a mile away,I turned my eyes,
almost starting from their sockets, upon
the monster from which 1 expected the
most horrible death.


The agony and mental torture of that
fearful moment can never be described
or forgotten; it makes me shudder now
to recall it.


AS the shark spproached me he les.
sened his speed, evidently reconnoiter-
ing the position. His graceful evolu.
tions; the perfect ease in which he glid-
ed through the water, the under jaw Just
dropped far enough to disclose the gilt
tering rows Of teeth, sharp as razors, the
careless, ,lazyimovement of the powerful
tail; and above all, the cold, horrible
glare of those small yellow eyes, fasci-
mated me with deadly terror.
In those short seconds lived years oil
horror. The ravenous demon so leisure.
ly confident Of his power, and / almost
powerless, waist deep in water, and nc
weapon to defend myself but a common
boat hook! seemed to shrink into moth
ingness when compared to my enemy


He gave me but a few seconds to think
| or prepare for death, for quick as cal
he faced directly for me, and seemed al
most to spring clear from the water al
he dived for my legs. l could scarcely
hold the boat hook in my trembling
handles, but as his body came within
reach 1 struck at him with the energy
and despair with which drowing per
son would catch at straw.


In breath | comm ended my soul t
God, and for the next few seconds be
came nearly unconscious. Whether the
monster felt the point of my spear o
not, of course l cannot tell. / presume
however, that he did, for he missed me
his ponderous jaws coming together
with snap.


Passing full around me, he dashed on
into the harbor again, but not far,whel
he turned and began the same manoeu
vers as before.


| My feel ings as he sprang for me, an,
the revulsion consequent upon my un
looked for respite, seemed to inspire m
with new courage, and felt that tn
cowardly shark might yet be baked c
his prey. l gained an astonishing fee
ing of GOODNESS and nerve, and deter
mined to present a firm front when h
attacked me again, which l knew h
would.


1 began to retreat, stepping cautious
ly backward, with my eyes fixed on tn
shark. Stealing look towards the boat
l saw with joy the men had got il o
the beach, and were manning the oari
That look nearly proved my last, for
had hardly turned toward the shark bt
fore he was upon me. / cannot describ
minutely what occurred, for / was tai
en- completely by surprise, and lost m
wits as well as nerve. l saw the du
glare of those terrible eyes, the almol
white, shining surface of the belly as


was partially turned upwards, and ii
waters dashed in my face.


A deadly cold feeling went over N


like an electric shock, as 1 felt th