PISCES— SHARK. 723 



Still, however, the depredations he commits are frequent and formidable. 

 The shark is the dread of sailors in all hot climates, where, like a greedy 

 roboer, he attends the ships, in expectation of what may drop overboard. 

 A man who unfortunately falls into the sea at such a time is sure to perish. 



The usual method by which sailors take the shark, is by baiting a great 

 hook with a piece of beef or pork, which is thrown out into the sea, by a 

 strong cord, strengthened near the hook with an iron chain. Without this 

 precaution, the shark would quickly bite the cord in two, and thus set 

 himself free. It is no unpleasant amusement to observe this voracious 

 animal coming up to survey the bait, particularly when not pressed by 

 hunger. He approaches it, examines it, swims round it, seems for a while 

 to neglect it, perhaps apprehensive of the cord and chain ; he quits it for a 

 little; but, his appetite pressing, he returns again; appears preparing to 

 devour it, but quits it once more. When the sailors have sufficiently divert- 

 ed themselves with his different evolutions, they then make a pretence, by 

 drawing the rope, as if intending to take the bait away ; it is then that the 

 glutton's hunger excites him ; he darts at the bait, and swallows it, hook 

 and all. Sometimes, however, he does not so entirely gorge the whole, 

 but that he once more gets free ; yet even then, though wounded and bleed- 

 wig with the hook, he will again pursue the bait until he is taken. When 

 he finds the hook lodged in his maw, his utmost efforts are then excited, 

 but in vain, to get free ; he tries with his teeth to cut the chain ; he pulls 

 with all his force to break the line ; he almost seems to turn his stomach 

 inside out, to disgorge the hook; in this manner he continues his formidable 

 though fruitless efforts ; till, quite spent, he suffers his head to be drawn 

 above water, and the sailors, confining his tail by a noose, in this manner 

 draw him on ship-board, and despatch him. This is done by beating him 

 on the head till he dies ; yet even that is not effected without difficulty and 

 danger ; the enormous creature, terrible even in the agonies of death, still 

 struggles with his destroyers ; nor is there an animal in the world that is 

 harder to be killed. Even when cut in pieces, the muscles still preserve 

 their motion, and vibrate for some minutes after being separated from the 

 body. Another method of taking him, is by striking a barbed instrument, 

 called a fizgig, into his body, as he brushes along by the side of the ship. 

 As soon as he is taken up, to prevent his flouncing, they cut off the tail wJh 

 an axe, with the utmost expedition. 



This is the manner in which Europeans destroy the shark ; but some 

 of the negroes along the African coast take a bolder and more dangerous 

 method to combat their terrible enemy. Armed with nothing more than a 

 knife, the negro plunges into the water, where he sees the shark watching 

 for his prey, and boldly swims forward to meet him. Though the great 

 animal does not come to provoke the combat, he does not avoid it, and 

 suffers the man to approach him; but, just as he turns upon his side to 

 seize the aggressor, the negrc watches the opportunity, plunges his knife 



