143 THE BOTTOM OF THE tihA. 



What a monster this must have been, which could 

 relieve the ocean, at a single mouthful, of one of its 

 most dreaded inhabitants ! 



The voracity and power of the shark itself are 

 terrible almost beyond credence. It is formidable 

 even to the great cetacea; it will follow, without 

 intermission, vessels sailing in the torrid zone, and 

 devour whatever they let fall into the sea. Should 

 any portion of the equipment or baggage fall over- 

 board, it instantly becomes the prey of this monster. 

 Its jaws, furnished with a hundred" and thirty strong 

 and pointed teeth, are powerful enough to chop a 

 man in two at one blow. The only check imposed on 

 its voracity by nature is due to the position of its 

 mouth. Instead of being at the extremity of its 

 body, it is placed on the lower surface, at some 

 distance from the snout, so that to seize its prey the 

 shark is obliged to incline itself on one side. While 

 it is making tliis movement its intended victim often 

 escapes. 



When it has once tasted human flesh, the shark is 

 certain to continue its visits to the places where he 

 expects to find it. For this reason the pearl-fisheries 

 are the theatre of dreadful struggles, in which the 

 coolness and intelligence cf man happily triumph 

 sometimes over this tiger of the seas. Every diver, 

 when he descends, is armed with a sharp knife 



