238 SUCKING-FISH AND SHARK. 



Bemora) so plentiful as at this place ] they caused 

 much annoyance to our fishermen hy carrying- off 

 baits and hooks^ and appeared always on the alert^ 

 darting- out in a body of twenty or more from under 

 the ship's bottom when any ofFal was thrown over- 

 board. Being' quite a nuisance^ and useless as food^ 

 Jack often treated them as he would a shark^ by 

 '^ spritsail-yarding-^" or some still less refined mode 

 of torture. One day some of us while walking- the 

 poop had our attention directed to a sucking--fish 

 about two and a half feet in length which had been 

 made fast by the tail to a billet of wood by a fathom 

 or so of spun yarn^ and turned adrift. An immense 

 striped shark^ apparently about fourteen feet in 

 lengthy which had been cruizing- about the ship all 

 the morning'^ sailed slowly up^ and^ turning- slightly 

 on one side_, attempted to seize the apparentl}^ help- 

 less fish^ but the sucker^ with great dexterity^ made 

 himself fast in a moment to the shark's back— off 

 darted the monster at full speedy — the sucker holding- 

 on fast as a limpet to a rock^ and the billet to wing- 

 astern. He then rolled over and over^ tumbling- about^ 

 when^ wearied with his efforts^ he laid quiet for a 

 little. Seeing the floaty the shark got it into his 

 mouthy and disengaging- the sucker by the tug on 

 the line^ made a bolt at the fish; but his puny 

 antagonist was again too quick^ and fixing- himself 

 close behind the dorsal fin^ defied the efforts of 

 the shark to disengage him^ although he rolled over 

 and over^ lashing the water with his tail until it 



