ON THE EAST C0AS7 OF FLORIDA. 21 



"'A large shark caught with hook and line on Southern wharf 

 had in it a part of a white man's body with a portion of his sailor's 

 clothes about it. This, too, was said to be a twenty-five foot shark. 

 The date of this, as near as I can remember, was 1837. 



" ' In the year 1852 Charles Chambers and friend were capsized 

 near Mount Pleasant. Each took an oar and was wading ashore, 

 when the friend looked back and saw Charlie fighting off a shark. 

 Charlie was pulled under and lost to sight forever. 



" ' In 1853 or '54 a young man was capsized off the Battery ; he 

 disappeared. His gold watch was afterwards found in a shark. 

 About 1883 a Charleston man's body was recovered in Bull's Bay, 

 from which an arm had been bitten off by a shark. 



" ' In 1883, or near it, an old negro fishing near Castle Pinckney 

 was annoyed by a shark, which pulled the fish off his hook. The 

 shark finally made a deep dive, but before the man could thank his 

 lucky star the shark reappeared in a grand leap over the boat, 

 fortunately without touching the fisherman. The old fellow having 

 no taste for a mix-up of circus and tragedy went home to his dinner. 



" ' In 1847 I was in the act of taking a front seat on what is now 

 the Clyde Line wharf, when a streak flashed along the water near the 

 wharf and out in the stream. The wharf is higher out of water now 

 than it was then. Suddenly the streak flashed in sight as from a long 

 turn, far out in the stream. It came swift and straight to the wharf, and 

 two large sharks appeared side by side, as though on a trial of speed. 

 They curved in front of me, within three feet of the wharf and two 

 feet of the surface, and out in the stream again. They turned this 

 time nearer and shorter, and were back to the wharf frightfully quick. 

 Speeding side by side they dashed close up to the wharf, and on the 

 surface of the water. It was all interesting. The last dash was a 

 grand display. I saw it by leaning forward and looking over the 

 edge of the wharf. The egg-shaped ring performance stopped 

 abruptly, when quick to the front they gave a fine show of graceful 

 movements on the water, followed by a sea-raising demonstration. 

 Then, seeming to have lost all interest in me, they retired behind 

 the sea scene they had raised. 



" ' That summer, or one within a year or two of it, a person's hand 

 at the side of a boat was bitten off by a shark. A young sailor swam 

 across to Castle Pinckney and back again to the wharf. He said he 

 had no fear of sharks ; that no shark could ever get sight or scent of 



