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FOREST AND STREAM. 



From St. Nicholas for December. 

 CHRISTMAS SONG. 



BY MRS, -8. RUSSELL. 



THE oak is a strong and stalwart tree, 

 And it lifts its branches up, 

 And catches the dew right gallantly 



In many a dainty cup. 

 And the world is brighter, and better made, 



Because of tne woodman's stroke, 

 Descending in sun, or falling in shade, 



On the sturdy form of the oak. 

 But stronger, I ween, in apparel green, 



And trappings so fair to see, 

 With its precious freight, for small and great, 



Is the beautiful Christmas tree. 



The elm is a kind and goodly tree, 



With its branches bending low; 



The heart is glad when its form we see, 



And we list to the river's flow. 

 Ay ! the heart is glad, aud the pulses bound, 



And joy illumines the face, 

 Whenever a goodly elm is found, 



Because of its beauty and grace. 

 But kinder, I ween, more goodly in mein, 



With branches more drooping aud free, 

 The tints of whose leaves, fidelity weaves, 



Is the beautiful Christmas tree . 



The maple is supple, and lithe, and strong, 



And claimeth our love anew. 

 When the days are listless, and quiet, and long, 



And the world is fair to view. 

 And later— as beauties and graces unfold— 



A monarch right regally drest, 

 With streamers aflame, and pennons of gold, 



It seemeth of all the best. 

 More lissome, I ween, the brightness and sheen, 



And the coloring, sunny and free, ~ 

 And the banners soft, that are held aloft, 



By the beautiful Christmas tree. 



, -*-»-»- 



For Forest and Stream. 

 A CRUISE WITH A SHARK. 



THE balance of the day, after disposing of our grouper, 

 and also the next, was spent at work on my sloop 

 and skiff. They were both got out on the beach and re- 

 painted. And while at that, I had a little experience 

 which may be of benefit to others. As I passed through 

 Cedar Keys, I tried to purchase some copper paint for the 

 bottom of my yacht, but there was none in town. Our 

 ship chandler advised me to use coal tar, saying that all 

 the boatmen about the Keys preferred it to copper paint, 

 and its price was a mere nothing. He mentioned one or 

 two with whom I was acquainted as using it from choice, 

 and as I must have something of the kind. I took a gallon. 

 It was applied almost as easily as paint, but I heated it 

 a little, as it was handy to do so, and worked easier. I 

 was charmed with it, for when first put on the bottom of 

 the boat it was like glass. I recommended it to every one 

 I met, including our friend Jones, of Homosassa. I 

 hope he hasn't put it on the "Spray," for I take back 

 everything I said in its favor. I never put anything on a 

 boat's bottom before, that seemed to be accepted by bar- 

 nacles as an invitation, quite so readily as this was. In 

 less than three week's from the time it was applied, the 

 whole bottom was completely covered. Common paint is 

 much to be preferred, but all valuable boats should be 

 coppered thoroughly if for constant use in these waters. 



The morning after finishing my repairs, I borrowed a 

 little bit of a skiff for a visit to Deer Key. This Key lies 

 between Sarasota Pass and the New Pass, and is an in- 

 side Key, thickly covered with palmetto and dead cedars. 

 It used to be a favorite hunting ground of mine, and I 

 wished of course to revisit all my old haunts. The skiff, 

 as 1 have said, was very small, was built for one man only, 

 and was intended to be light enough for its one man to 

 haul it across dry oyster bars or sand fiats, and withal was 

 so very crank that it would hardly answer for a tobacco 

 chewer to shift his quid suddenly from one cheek to the 

 other. But I was safe on that score, and so put ©ut just 

 before daybreak. I reached the island all right, found my 

 old landing place well grown up with brush, and as usual 

 at this time of the day and year, was soon wet through to 

 the waist with the heavy dew before I got out into the 

 open. This island, like the others, is cut up with open 

 strips, but they don't resemble beaches so much as those on 

 Big Sarasota. The island is nearly round, and not over a 

 mile in diameter. I prowled around cautiously, up one open 

 strip and down the next, saw plenty of "sign," but no 

 deer, although some of the tracks were not more than an 

 hour or so old; could see where the dew had been shaken 

 off the bush by the deer taking a bite of the tender leaves. 

 I had worked the whole island nearly, and was close over 

 to the west shore, when, as I was examining a fresh track 

 on the sand, I heard a rush and snort in the brush just 

 ahead of me. My rifle was at my shoulder in an instant, 

 and as I caught one glimpse of a head going through the 

 brush I sent a bullet that way, hoping there might be luck 

 in it, but there wasn't. I soon heard him splashing in the 

 water. Now, if he really took to the water for a trip to 

 the next island, I might get a chance to put in a good shot. 

 I listened intently for a moment to his jumps, and soon 

 had his bearings and a tolerable idea of the island he would 

 make for. All at once it flashed upon my recollection, 

 fthat at the extreme western end of the island was a 

 little clear mound, which I had more than once used as a 

 lookout station. To recall the fact of the mound, was to 

 be there as swiftly as my legs would carry me. There was 

 my deer, scarcely two hundred yards away to the left. He 

 was still on the jump, for the water did not quite come up 

 to his belly, but the depth was beginning to increase rapidly 



as he approached the channel, and when it became too deep 

 for him to jump, yet not deep enough to make him swim, 

 would be my opportunity. There was no use in wasting a 

 shot while he was going at the irregular gait which he still 

 held, for every time he sprang the water flew all over him 

 as well as in every direction. The distance was momen- 

 tarily increasing; he was already further off than I care to 

 shoot at a deer, for more deer are killed at less than seventy- 

 five, yes, less than fifty yards, than are killed beyond that 

 distance even with the best rifles. I dropped upon one 

 knee to steady myself, and brought my rifle to my shoulder. 

 As my eye glanced along the sights, and as they began to 

 bear upon the deer, whose gait was getting mu«h steadier^ 

 the thought passed through my mind, "Can I do it?" 

 Why these doubts of myself? It must be done, and 

 bracing every nerve to the effort, I sighted so that, if my ball 

 fell a little short, uoon the ricochet, it would strike in the 

 right place. It wouldn't do to wait longer, the water was 

 deep enough now to stop the high jumps, and realizing 

 that "he who hesitates is lost," I pulled the trigger. It was 

 a success after all my doubts. He gave one last high 

 spring into the air and fell upon his back. I waited to see 

 no more, but hurriedly taking the bearings of the place 

 when he fell, with a prominent dead mangrove on the outer 

 island, I ran for the skiff, which was nearly a mile away. 

 You may rest assured that 1 did not let grass grow under 

 my feet, or stop to still hunt now. The game was killed, 

 but not bagged. Any number of things might happen be- 

 fore I could get the skiff around to the spot. Its lightness 

 enabled me to make one short cut, for I pulled it over a 

 narrow, dry sand bar, which was three or four hundred 

 yards around. I got in range of my shooting point and 

 the* dead mangrove at last, and commenced paddling 

 slowly out on the line, keeping a sharp lookout mean- 

 time upon the bottom. One who has never tried to find a 

 particular point, under water, upon an extensive mud flat* 

 when there are no prominent objects to guide him, cannot 

 realize the difficulties of the endeavor. The water was 

 very clear in the present instance, and my bearings having 

 been well taken, I found him without undue delay. There 

 he lay, on the bottom, in about four feet of water, and I 

 soon fished him to the surface with an oar; but here a new 

 and entirely unexpected difficulty presented itself. The 

 skiff was so light in its build, that every time I attempted 

 to lift the deer on board I pulled the skiff partially under j 

 and after making the trial in two or three different waySj 

 I was forced to give up lifting the buck on board in such 

 deep water, but with the aid of my belt I made him fast 

 to the skiff, and towed him into shoal water where I could 

 step overboard and only get wet up to my knees. Here I 

 had things now my own way, but I had to try placing him 

 in several positions before I got him so that, with myself on 

 board, the little craft was properly trimmed for a sail 

 across the bay. There was but very little over an inch be" 

 tween the water line and the gunwale aft after all was 

 fixed, and as it happened, my final trimming had left the 

 carcass so that the nose hung just a little over the side. I 

 paid no especial attention to that fact, at the time, nor did 

 I notice especially that a little blood was dripping from the 

 nostrils. I placed my rifle in the bow, girded my belt 

 urouud me, took a look at the weather and things in gen- 

 eral, felt pretty well satisfied with my morning's work, and 

 took my seat to pull across the bay. Everything passed 

 off smoothly while on the shoals, and I was very nearly 

 across the main channel, which comes in from the Big 

 Pass, when I noticed away astern the back fin of a large 

 shark. He was not sailing along with that quiet and digni- 

 fied air which they usually assume when on an ordinary 

 cruise, but was making short rushes from one side to the 

 other. Sometimes his whole back would show above 

 water, and a moment after the back fin would be almost 

 out of sight. At first, although my attention was attracted, 

 I paid no heed to his maneuvers, but before long I noticed 

 that he was much nearer to me than when I first saw him. 

 Then it seemed that his rushes from side to side were in 

 reality tacks, and about the time that idea wa3 settled in 

 my mind, the purpose for which they were made dawned 

 upon rne. He was on the trail of blood, and getting more 

 and more excited every moment, as the trail grew stronger. 

 I now saw the whole thing. As I have before said, the deer's 

 head was lying so that blood dripped from the nostrils into 

 the water, and as I had pulled diagonally across the 

 channel, this blood had drifted out with the tide, and Mr. 

 Shark had got a scent of it. A very little blood seems to 

 go a long way in tainting water so that sharks will notice it. 

 1 had observed that in fishing for them o f ten before, and 

 when they once get the scent, they always follow up against 

 the tide to find where it had come from. As my course 

 had been across the tide current, he would run outside the 

 trail every time he went straight ahead; then of course he 

 came about and found it again on the other tack, and was, 

 in fact, beating me up, just as a well trained dog beats up 

 a covey of birds in a stubble field. The game was re- 

 versed now, the hunter was hunted, and didn't like it at 

 all. The situation was getting interesting very rapidly. I 

 tried to move the head around with an oar, but the body 

 and neck had stiffened too much. I took a step towards 

 it to pull it around, but the first movement brought water 

 over the side. I sat down again, and picking up a gourd 

 threw the water out; but this only made things worse in 

 another way, for as the water in the skiff was very bloody 

 from the bullet hole in his side, I freshened my trail. By 

 this time the shark was only twenty-ive or thirty feet 

 away. I picked up my oars again and began pulliag. It 

 was three-fourths of a mile to the nearest shoal water on 

 the main land side, and a little over one-fourth back across 

 the channel. I couldn T t think of pulling back across that 



channel again, for I might call up one or more companions 

 to my uninvited follower, which might make him even 

 more enterprising than he already was. No, one was 

 enough; the longer pull seemed the safer one, in that re- 

 spect at least, and I laid down to my work, but it was no 

 use trying to pull away from him. I hadn't taken half a 

 dozen strokes when they attracted his attention, and he 

 came straight for me. He came right up to within four 

 feet or less of the stern, then veering to one side, just out- 

 side of my oars, passed me. His back fin was cutting the 

 water like a knife. It made that little spurt of water, which 

 is often noticed at the bow of a wherry or racing boat, when 

 in rapid motion. I had a much better chance to look him 

 over than I cared for. As he ranged alongside, I could 

 compare his length with that of my nine foot skiff, and he 

 was four feet longer, if an inch. Just as his back fin was 

 off my bow he sunk himself, and the glimpse I got of him 

 over my shoulder, showed that he had turned under the 

 boat. Was he going to roll over on his back and take a 

 bite of it? I remembered a well authenticated instance 

 of a shark in Boca Sega Bay, turning upon the boat from 

 which he had been harpooned, and tearing a piece out of 

 the bow, capsizing it with its two men, who fortunately 

 escaped to land, which was very near, and with the wreck 

 of the skiff in tow putting straight out into the Gulf. 

 Theie was no consolation in that remembrance. It was 

 true that shark was enraged by having a harpoon tickling 

 his vitals, but this one might be just as fierce from hunger, 

 and he was certainly excited by the smell of blood. I was 

 momentarily relieved, however, by seeing the back fin 

 come up on the other side, and swim along even with me 

 for a few yards. Was he looking things over to pick out 

 the weakest place? He soon let himself drop astern, then 

 made a rush up on the other side, then dropped back again 

 for another rush. On the whole he was not getting more 

 excited, as well as I could judge, but who can tell what 

 may be passing through a thirteen foot shark's mind, grant 

 ing that he has a mind of his own, and certainly there was 

 room for a good sized one in that head, which was as wide 

 as a half barrel. I was keeping along on the even tenor of 

 may way, doing in the way of speed as well as could be 

 expected under the circumstances. After a while he 

 stopped making the rushes, and took up his station at the 

 stern. He seemed to have found just where the blood 

 came from at last, and now swam steadily along, high out 

 of water, with his nose not over three feet from that of the 

 buck. What concious power there seemed to be in every 

 movement he made. I was pulling with all my strength, 

 while he seemed to hold his place by mere volition. How 

 viciously he rolled up those little cat-like eyes at me ! They 

 were only a few inches under water. Why not put a 

 bullet down through that broad head? It could ibe done 

 very easily. I came very near picking up my rifle and doing 

 it on the spur of the moment, for I was getting rather 

 vexed at the fellow's persistence in following me so closely; 

 but probably a second thought was best in this case, for, 

 unless I severed the back bone just back of the skull at the 

 first shot there would be a big splashing, and one flirt of 

 that tail would send water enough on board to swamp me. 

 I knew from experience, that a shot through the brain 

 would leave the tail end very active, but if I could touch 

 the spinal column just after it leaves the skull the whole 

 body would be left perfectly motionless. But to shoot 

 through three or four inches of water into a neck that 

 must be nearly a foot and a half across, so as to strike a 

 line not much wider than the bullet itself, required very 

 nice judgment, to say nothing of a knowledge of anatomy. 

 The risk was too great. I wouldn't try it unless he got very 

 excited again, and then only as a last resort. I remem- 

 bered a recent correspondence in Forest and Stream, to 

 the effect that there was no well attested account of a man 

 having been eaten by a shark. I did not get much com- 

 fort out of that theory, however; this customer was too 

 near. It is true he was after deer's blood; but suppose we 

 were both in the water together? I feared Mr. Shark might 

 get too excited for any nice discrimination between venison 

 and man. When living on Sarasota before, I had often 

 fished for them in various ways, and the experience I had 

 heretofore had, showed that the great difficulty was to get 

 near enough to a shark to even put an iron into him; but 

 this one was of a very different character that was sure. 

 I recalled a boast that I used to make, to the effect that 

 even if I did capsize anywhere, I was so well acquainted 

 with all the sharks in the bay that none of them would 

 trouble me. In proof of this, had I not been swamped one 

 afternoon in the middle of Tampa Bay, and after being in 

 the water the remainder of the day, and all of the following 

 night, swimming some three miles and a half to land in 

 safety? When I went out to tli8 boat the next day with 

 assistance to raise her, was not the water alive with sharks, 

 and did I not dive down over twenty feet, and pass a line 

 through the traveler to hoist by? I firmly believed at that 

 1 ime, that a shark would not attack a man when the water 

 was clear enough for it to make him out for a man dis- 

 tinctly. I ought to have got a good deal of comfort out of 

 these recollections, but somehow I couldn't. This particu- 

 lar shark had either forgotten me, or must have been a 

 stranger in the bay, and there was no one to introduce us. 

 I didn't like to introduce myself in si ch Oeep water, and 

 from such a small boat. There he was, holding himself 

 close by that deer's nose. Who should have that venison? 

 I had earned it, and it was still mine by right of possession. 

 There was no flaw in my title so far. But, here was a 

 regular piratical claimant, who seemed disposed to jump 

 my claim without any formalities. But you keep quiet, 

 old fellow, for a few minutes longer. I am getting well 

 over towards the other shore, and if you will only quietly 



