The Biography of a Man-Eater 



tered, and with others he had followed them, lurk- 

 ing about the mouths of rivers, often creeping in, 

 devouring other sharks or eating the hundreds of 

 shad in nets. He lurked about the gulf-coast islands 

 for some time and laid in wait for the silver king, the 

 tarpon that came up from the South American coast 

 in February, and he soon learned to watch until a 

 fisherman had hooked a tarpon, and more than one 

 will recall feeling a sudden strain and seeing a huge 

 white-bellied figure rise five feet with the tarpon quiv- 

 ering in his maw. Again he followed the horse mack- 

 erel in the spring, lurching along far beneath them, 

 yet keen on their scent, following the peculiar oily 

 exudations from their scales which followed them 

 for miles, as a hound would a fresh trail, making 

 rushes at night and often running a school inshore, 

 losing them on the sands where the fishermen lanced 

 them and wondered why they came ashore. 



This and more the great shark had done, but now 

 his enormous bulk, his slow movements suggested a 

 different life; the huge creature had reached the 

 demoniacal climax of his development. He had 

 fourteen or more rows of white serrated, knifelike 

 teeth; he moved with great deliberation, and was 

 apparently incapable of rapid movement; but this 

 was not altogether true, the shark was really a type 

 of activity. He could dart ahead or from side to 

 side, or turn upon his side with matchless grace, but 

 he rarely did; he now plowed slowly along search- 



