THE POWER OF A SHARERS JAW. 203 



cation of bottom. The captain looked surprised, 

 but said nothing, till a third of the contents of the 

 tub had gone over board, and then he uttered an ex- 

 clamation very forcible, but far from polite. How- 

 ever this did not alter matters, for soon scarce twen- 

 ty fathoms were left. The seaman was now ordered 

 to stop the line, and in doing so exclaimed, after a 

 violent effort, that he was unable. Two or three turns 

 round a belaying-pin soon settled this difficulty, and 

 at length the lead was drawn on board. On being 

 handled, it was found to be very much cut ; so, to 

 have a better inspection, it was transferred at once to 



the chart-room. On examination we found on the 







reverse sides a succession of furrows over half an 

 inch deep, out of which we picked, with the point 

 of the compasses, a number of broken fragments of 

 a large shark's teeth. The opinion of the majority 

 was that the brute had smelt the fat and been thus 

 induced to lay hold. From my knowledge of the 

 habits of the fish, I believe he was attracted by the 

 glitter of the metal passing rapidly through the 

 water ; under either circumstance, the rapidity with 

 which he must have dashed through the water to 

 seize his prey, is a proof of the agility with which 

 some of the species of this genus are possessed. The 



