SHAEK-SHOOTING IN MAURITIUS 185 



picked up, we must have killed a dozen which 

 were torn to pieces by their brethren." This in- 

 cident was illustrated and described in The Grajphic 



at the time. Meanwhile we had arrived at II — 's 



bungalow, which was decorated with sharks' jaws. 



" This is my best pair," he said, picking them up 

 and passing them over my head. The circumference 

 was large enough to allow them to pass freely over 



my shoulders. I shuddered. H called his 



orderly and told him to have a dozen chiens 

 marrons ready in the morning. These are the 

 common pariah dogs of the East, which go by this 

 name in this semi-French colony. 



Accordingly, next morning after breakfast, we em- 

 barked in a shore - boat, taking with us our lunch 

 and the half-dozen wretched dogs which were 

 destined to be " butchered to make a Mauritian 

 holiday." We pulled out of the harbour past the 

 Bell Buoy, and finally reaching the lightship some 

 couple of miles to seaward, we went on board. 

 We were warmly welcomed by the light - keeper 



and his assistant, whom H pointed out to me 



as "the black harpooner." He was a negro of 

 herculean proportions. Our preparations were soon 

 made. They consisted in tying the wretched dogs 

 in two lots of three, each lot being fastened to a 

 long line. They were tossed overboard, and, float- 

 ing under the ship's counter, were put out of their 

 misery by a ball through their head. This was 

 rather a butcherly business, but the bloodshed was 

 necessary to attract the sharks. Up to the present 

 we had not seen the sign of one. The lines were 

 paid out till the baits were floating many yards 

 from the ship, and we sat down to wait. 



