THE DESTINY OF A BLUE SHARK 



air and sky — the ocean ; his food — the crumbs 

 which dropped from the meals of the shark. 



The Gladisfen's cook threw over some boiled 

 potatoes, no other bait being available. The great 

 shark turned toward and nosed them, then dropped 

 back. One of the pilotfish deserted for a moment, 

 returned and snapped at the drifting vegetable, and 

 again a second time, its fellow not moving from its 

 place. Then the shark approached close under the 

 stern counter, and deigned to swallow some of the 

 inappropriate food; a medium-sized hook on a cod 

 line was dropped over, taken and when jerked, 

 caught on the lip of the huge fish. A single sideways 

 nod, and hook and line would have torn out or 

 broken, yet the shark allowed his head to be lifted 

 high enough for a full-sized shark hook to be 

 dropped in, swallowed and firmly hooked. Now, 

 too late, the great animal began to fight, but a skill- 

 fully thrown wire noose held the great tail helpless. 

 The pilots kept off a yard or two, but the sucking- 

 fish still slithered over his world which threatened 

 to be engulfed in the unimaginable medium of air. 

 A scoop of the net captured him, and he exchanged 

 the comfortable roughness of shagreen for the less 

 holdable inner surface of a pail. 



The shark was hauled on board, and before long 

 the deep-sea nets were pulled in, and the tug headed 

 full speed for Nonsuch. Throughout three or four 

 miles of fast steaming the pilotfish kept pace ; their 

 lord had, for reasons best known to himself, chosen 

 to desert the water and ascend to the sky. This noisy 



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