THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 299 
mit, and paddling with his hands, is borne on the 
crest of the advancing wave, amidst the foam and 
spray, till within a yard or two of the shore or 
rocks, Then, when a stranger expects to see him 
the next moment dashed to death, he slides off his 
board, and catching it by the middle, dives sea- 
ward under the wave, and comes up behind, laugh- 
ing and whooping, again to swim out as before. 
The utmost skill is required, in coming in, to keep 
the position on the top of the wave; for, if the 
board get too forward, the swimmer will be over- 
turned and thrown upon the beach; and, if it fall 
behind, he will be buried beneath the succeeding 
wave; yet some of the natives are so expert as to 
sit, and even to stand upright upon their board, 
while it is thus riding in the foam. 
Their sport is, however, not unfrequently disturbed 
by the appearance of ashark. This terrific animal is 
particularly abundant among the South Sea Islands, 
and remarkably bold and ferocious. The cry of 
“ A Shark!” among the surf swimmers will instantly 
set them in the utmost terror, and generally they fly 
with precipitation to the shore; though sometimes 
they unite and endeavour to frighten him away with 
their shouting and splashing. Often, however, the 
animal is too determined lightly to give up his prey, 
as was the case in the following instance recorded by 
Mr. Richards of the Sandwich Islands :— 
“At nine o’clock in the morning of June 14th, 
1826, while sitting at my writing-desk, I heard 
a simultaneous scream from multitudes of people, 
‘Pau ika mano!’ (Destroyed by the shark!) The 
